The Art of Seduction
by lionetspirit
Summary: Ikuto Tsukiyomi has always been the most popular kid and the biggest playboy in school. Now there's a new girl vying for that spot of popularity and his charms don't seem to work on this one! Has he finally met his match? Not if he can help it! Amuto
1. The End of the World

Welcome to my first AU! It's an AMuto, of course =]

It's another story! I know I should be updating the other ones, but this idea was floating around for awhile...

**The Art of Seduction**

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has always been the most popular in school. No girl has ever been able to resist his charms. But what happens when Amu Hinamori steps in? Could he have possibly met his match?

Read and review please. Happy writers make more updates!

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**The Art of Seduction**

Chapter 1: The End of the World

Rosy strands of hair flopped against her forehead as she struggled to get her heart shaped clip tied over the side of her head. Her face tightened into a grimace, revealing a mixture of aggravation, anxiety and excitement.

"Hold still Amu-chan!" A blonde girl clad in a frilly green dress reached for Amu's hand, stopping her from making the damage worse. She glanced at the reflection of the pink-haired girl and resisted making a scowl of her own. "I'll do it desu."

Amu stared up at the girl behind her, eyes clearly expressing gratefulness. "Thanks Suu."

"I really don't know why you're so nervous Amu. It's just school," remarked a girl adorned with an interesting set of blue clothes topped with a light blue French barrette. She had always been the most stylish of them all. She leaned against the table before Amu with her arms crossed and waited for an answer.

But it wasn't Amu who responded. Instead, a redheaded girl who was settled on the bed beside the table spoke. "Miki, you know how Amu gets. All jittery and nervous around a crowd."

Amu shifted a bit at the words and noting that Suu had somehow miraculously saved the disaster in her hair, gave the blonde a small smile. But as soon as Amu realized that the blonde had already directed her attention elsewhere, staring off in the distance as she muttered what they were to have for dinner that night, the rosette turned towards the other two.

"It's not just school, it's a new school! And it's college!" Amu's golden eyes looked over at her friend's through the mirror. "And…" She looked down at her hands. "Ran's right. That's just how I am."

"I didn't mean it like that Amu!" Ran quickly sat up. "You'll amaze them all, you'll see. You shouldn't be worried. You're Cool and Spicy character will knock them down so hard, they won't know what hit them."

Her luminescent golden eyes immediately dulled and her expression dropped within seconds.

"Ran!" Miki chided.

"What? It's true. She'll be the most popular girl in school again." Ran cheered. "You can do it Amu!"

Amu groaned, slapping a hand against her face as Miki shot a malevolent glare at Ran's direction. Really, it amazed the blue headed artist how that hyperactive, loud-mouthed girl could be her _older_ sister. Of the three, Miki had always felt like the oldest, what with Ran's constant sugar high and Suu's complete obliviousness to everything around her.

She stole a glance at Suu who was, as she suspected, once again humming to herself in her own little world as her eyes were completely unfocused. Sighing, Miki ignored her overzealous redheaded sister, uncrossed her arms and laid one hand on Amu's slightly trembling figure.

"Amu, you'll do great. You're beautiful and smart. Smart enough to get into the prestigious Seiyo Academy on full scholarship neh?"

Amu lifted her head past her arms and cowered back to hide beneath them.

"You're a great person Amu. Even if you didn't have that completely useless Cool and Spicy character of yours, people would still love you." Miki squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

"I…" her voice was muffled before she finally raised her head to look Miki in the eyes. "I just wish that you three could come with me."

"Amu-chan. You know we would've, but you're the only one who got in."

"You should be happy desu!" Suu had finally broken away from her trance.

"I can't wait to see you amaze them Amu!" Ran squealed, almost reverting to her fangirl mode just at the thought of Amu's Cool and Spicy character. She had always been her number one fan despite growing up with her and knowing her true character.

Miki sent her sister another glare. She knew Ran was only making Amu more nervous, though she didn't doubt the truth in her words. Her childhood friend Amu had always managed to leave a lasting impression, never failing to become the most popular girl no matter where she went. But knowing Amu, which she did and had for the past 15 years (she practically considered her a 4th sister), Miki knew that she wasn't at all happy with being lavished with attention and adoration with a mix of fear.

Because, as Miki knew better than anyone else, Amu just wanted to be herself – and her true self was nothing like the confident person that she portrayed to others.

"It's okay Miki." Amu gave her a weak smile. "You guys should be heading back right?"

"But we haven't even gotten to help that much!" Ran cried. Her eyes swept through the length of Amu's bedroom, the very last room they had worked on. There was still some clutter of half empty boxes here and there, even if everything seemed to be in place.

"You've helped me move all my stuff and you guys even stayed over. I think it's more than enough."

Miki looked uncertain. "Will you be okay living alone?"

"I'll be fine, really."

"Maybe we should get your parents and Ami to come too desu." Suu reached over at a box and pulled out a stuffed animal. "How will you live and eat desu? You must eat properly Amu-chan." Although her eyes were directed at the doll, her concern for Amu shone clearly through them. She pulled the doll close and embraced it as she closed her eyes trying to relax the expression of worry that spread across her face.

"I can't bother my parents. They have good jobs in the States. Ami is so Americanized I don't even know how she'd do here. I couldn't possibly make them come with me."

"But but but! Then why did you want to come here?" Ran squeaked in protest.

Miki rolled her eyes. "Maybe because it's one of the best universities in the world? Full scholarship and almost guaranteed jobs after graduation? If we had gotten in, our futures would be set too."

Amu sent her a crooked smile. "Come on, it's not that amazing."

Ran, Miki and Suu stared at her in disbelief.

"A-and, w-what's the use of that if I have no idea what I want to do with my life?" Amu stuttered, just beginning to feel the slightest bit guilty that she had been the only one to be accepted.

"Come on, it's totally amazing!" Ran hopped up, holding Amu's hands against her own. "And I can't believe that one of us, _actually_ got in. Wait, I _can_ believe it. This is Amu Hinamori we're talking about here!"

"Yeah, considering it was so out of our league we were just applying for it as a prank."

"And now our poor Amu must live all alone desu!" Suu cried out suddenly wearing a pleading expression.

"Well, not all alone. You guys applied to schools in Japan because of me, didn't you?"

The three immediately looked away.

"Well, no I just happened to want to go to school here." Miki raised an arm awkwardly to the back of her head.

"Me too desu."

"Me three."

"Thanks guys." A few seconds of comfortable silence passed as the four girls exchanged warm smiles.

"If you need anything Amu-chan, please call us. I'll cook you dinner!"

Amu chuckled slightly. "And have you travel 3 hours just to make me some food? I think I can handle myself."

Suu seemed slightly discouraged.

"But only because you trained me to cook all summer Suu."

The blonde immediately brightened up. Meanwhile, Ran was cheering "Yay Suu!"

Ushering them out of her apartment, Amu gave them one last hug. "I'm going to miss you guys. It'll be weird not having you around all the time."

With their eyes slightly moist, the three sisters immediately wrapped their arms around her.

"It's not like we're not here at all." Miki scoffed. "We're _only_ three hours away. We can see you whenever we want!"

"Yeah! And it's way better than being back in the US. Then it'd just be impossible to see you."

"Remember to call." Ran said as she picked up her bag to leave.

"Well visit often desu." Suu whimpered, only to be dragged out by Ran who knew that her youngest sister would not stop crying for the next couple of hours if given the chance to begin. While Ran wasn't always the most level headed, she was the type who hated seeing people upset and made it her business to cheer them up. Crying in front of her was simply something that wasn't allowed.

"Bye Amu." Miki turned to leave, worry evident in her eyes.

"And Miki," Amu spoke before she closed the door behind her. "I really do think that you might actually be the oldest sister too."

The blue headed girl raised an eyebrow and joked. "Hmm. Maybe our parents confused who was who, seeing how we're triplets and all. I've had my suspicions for some time now."

The rosette laughed, before her lips finally settled for a grim line. "Thanks…for everything Miki. If it counts for anything, you've at least been like a big sis to me."

Miki looked at her with a warm grin donning her face, before walking out the door with a piece of advice she knew that the girl needed. "Don't get into too much trouble Amu."

"Miki!" Amu huffed, "Like I would!"

"And that includes being late."

The stylish blue haired girl briskly followed her two sisters at the end of the hall, stealing brief glances at her wrist watch as she counted down for the expected screeches.

"OH MY GOD! IT'S 8:15! I'm going to be LATE!"

"Will she be alright desu?" Suu cringed slightly at Amu's screams.

"Let's hope so. But if not, that's why we're here isn't it?"

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Willowy leaves swayed in a blur of golden yellows, warm oranges and fiery reds. Amu pulled the edges of the blazer around herself, shivering slightly either from cold or nervousness. Looking around, she found a sign pointing in the direction of the freshman orientation and without hesitation her feet picked up the slack and hurried her along.

She couldn't believe that she was finally in college and to top it off, one of the best of the best! Amu Hinamori had actually decided to leave the United States to go study by herself. To go to Japan.

The last time she was in Japan must have been when she first met the triplets. She was only three or four years old then and her memory of it was hazy at best. Still, she mildly recalled leaving her birthplace to head for the United States and it was in the airplane, curiously only a few rows down, where she found the girls. They had hit it off immediately and coincidentally found that their parents were childhood friends.

Yet even if she couldn't remember Japan, the first few years of her life were spent here and Amu felt a strange connection to it. As if she belonged here. As if it had called her to come back.

And those girls had come along with her. They had applied to every school that had their programs of interest in Japan, just so that they could be near her. Since the day they met, they had been inseparable and it was true even now. Amu grinned, beyond grateful that she was blessed with friends like these.

The rustle of leaves woke Amu from her daze, causing her to look around in confusion as she soon realized that…she was lost. Amu Hinamori, High School Valedictorian, top of her class, was somehow incapable of following the simple arrows that led to the auditorium.

And she wasn't _only_ lost. She was also late. On her first day of school in a foreign country, that is a school that could easily kick her out at a moment's notice and leave her completely without a place to live as well.

Well, she could always stay with the Nikaidou's. Although it hadn't been intentional, the girls had convinced their parents to move with them. Most likely, their father could not bear to see the youngest daughter, Suu away from home. Not that anyone could really blame him. Suu's welfare was a bit concerning at times.

It wouldn't be so bad to live with her three closest friends would it? She was sure that their parents wouldn't mind- that they'd probably be delighted to take care of their best friends' daughter, but she couldn't possibly intrude.

She cursed under her breath and kicked a pointed rock, perhaps hoping for it to show her where to go next.

"Ow!" But as her luck would have it, it landed something furry and blue against the base of a tree at some distance. She froze in place, eyes widening at the mass of blue fur against black.

It trembled slightly as if agitated before growling an indecipherable sound.

Slowly, the obscure glob rose upwards. Without her contacts, Amu couldn't be sure whether or not she was imagining the monster crawling against the ground, leaning forward as if to…stretch? And was that a …tail?

And then it rose up and looked as if it would tower over her if she had stood right next to it. Hearing the quick swish of leaves beneath its feet, Amu watched the image grow larger and larger, sensing its incredible speedy approach, before tightly shutting her eyes to let out a scream.

"Just SHHH!"A hand covered her mouth within seconds and she was forced to open her eyes to get a glance at the perpetrator.

Shimmering golden irises met intense azure orbs. For a moment, Amu couldn't even register what had happened and when she had finally noticed, could not pull herself away from the gaze of a surprised man – his eyes sparkling, yet dark and mysterious like the most beautiful night sky.

His eyes were wide, attention completely focused on the gilded honey orbs that seemed fluid with the way light reflected off of them. As if the waves of a golden sea were lapping over each other, her eyes were full of emotion, life, or maybe it was just utter shock.

He released her, pulling his hand away while keeping the gaze. Finally looking away, he spoke. "So what's a lost little kitty doing here?"

His voice immediately pulled a blush from Amu's face and seeing her reaction, he smirked.

"Ex-excuse me sir. I'm very s-sorry about the uh…rock." Amu stared down at the ground, wondering why her Cool and Spicy attitude wasn't kicking in.

"It's not _sir_. It's Ikuto Tsukiyomi." He rubbed his head and crinkled his nose. Leaning forwards to catch a glimpse of her, he spoke in the huskiest voice the flustered girl had ever heard. "But _you_ can just call me Ikuto."

Amu jumped in place, her skirt fluttering in the motion of it. Looking up, her eyes met his unexpectedly and for another few seconds of silence, they stood dazed.

Then, finally catching herself, Amu pulled her gaze away, cheeks again a rosy hue. "I-I'm Amu Hinamori."

"Alright _Amu_. Was there a reason you were disturbing my sleep?"

"I- y-yes. Sorry a-again for that." Amu cursed inwardly. At this point, she wouldn't mind if her outward character took hold. At least she wouldn't seem like a stuttering fool.

"Do you always talk like that?" He raised an eyebrow at her. His expression seemed to twinkle with amusement. "I'd think it would have been a bit difficult to get through the Seiyo interview with a speech impediment."

Her cheeks blazed in embarrassment but most of all, her eyes flared with fury. She glared up at him with a sharp, cold stare just managing to force him to take a slight step back. "I'm looking for the freshman orientation."

Ikuto sighed and weaved his hand through his hair. "I liked the stuttering. It was cute."

"Like I care whether you like it or not!" She practically screamed, though her cheeks were once again betraying her.

His teasing grin dropped slightly. Usually, if he had said something like that to a girl, really any girl, they'd be swooning at his feet. In all his years at school, it had been his gift, blessing and curse. He attracted the female population like a magnet and they'd follow him wherever he went.

At some point, the nickname "Sex God" had stuck with him. Not that there wasn't a reason for it. For the most part, he wooed girls, had his way with them, and moved on to the next. No strings attached. And they didn't seem to mind either. They went to him regardless, knowing exactly what they were getting into.

But sometimes, just sometimes, he needed to be alone. A man could only take so much mindless sex, well maybe not, but even so Ikuto would occasionally find it all pointless. Because at the end of it all, he was still alone. Still as much of an outcast as he had been in his youth. It wasn't that people didn't want to get to know him. It was very much the opposite. It seemed that they were too eager to and he never truly trusted anyone to genuinely want to know about him rather than be in it for the popularity, or sex, or money.

Which was why he was found in the outskirts of the campus, just to get away from it all. Usually, during these times, he'd have Yoru to keep him company – the only friend he really trusted. But there was some meeting today and all the guardians of his year, the senior class, including Yoru who was the acting Jack, had to attend.

And being the Joker, Ikuto was supposed to attend as well. Not that he ever had in the previous 3 years. He was sure that they'd all assume that he wouldn't be showing up – because he _wasn't_ going to be showing up. Besides, it wasn't a good opportunity to pick up girls either. Freshmen were too young for his tastes. He'd really only go for a senior, or junior maybe.

"Hello? I need to get to the Freshman Orientation."

Amu's innocent voice brought him back to his senses. His eyes widened slightly at the words.

"…Did you say Freshman Orientation?" That sounded oddly familiar. Like that meeting the guardians had spoken about.

"Uh…yeah." She looked up at him curiously at the change. His figure had seemed almost lonely before like a stray cat, but now it seemed as if he was back to normal.

His eyes twinkled mischievously, smirk raised higher than normal. "You're a freshman here?"

She crossed her arms, looking somewhat peeved that he hadn't given her directions yet. "Yes, now can I get the directions? I'm running really late."

He leaned towards her with determination to regain his well known prowess of making girls fawn at his feet. There was something about this girl. Something in the way she crossed her arms and glared at him. Something that no other female had ever done to Ikuto Tsukyomi in the history of his time here or ever, really.

Whether he liked this 'something' was yet to be determined.

"Well, aren't you going to show me the way?" She questioned cheeks getting rosier as he got closer.

"No. Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm lost? And you know where everything is." She pointed a finger at his clothes. "You're a student here."

He looked at her, amusement leaking through his voice. "And I would help you because…?"

"For the self satisfaction of doing a good deed…?"

A barely contained chuckle escaped his mouth. "Good deed?"

When she realized the conversation wouldn't be going anywhere, she stomped forward poking a finger at his chest as she sternly spoke. "Look, I'm late for the freshman orientation, so I'd appreciate it if you could at least show me the way. It won't take more than a few minutes of your time. But what it will do, is save me the trouble of getting kicked out of school."

His lips were pressed together in strain, as if trying to contain laughter. "You think you could get kicked out over something like that? You're just the cutest little kid, aren't you?"

She glared at him, clearly unamused.

"Besides," he watched her from the corner of his eyes, lips slowly moving upward in a smirk. He leaned in ever closer, brushing against her cheek with his own as he whispered the words all too breathlessly into her ear. "I don't do anything without getting _something_ in return."

Her body almost gave into a spasm as she forcefully shoved him away. "Y-You p-pervert! F-forget it! I'll find it myself."

Ikuto frowned slightly. His usual charms were failing. The world must be ending soon.

But with the way her cheeks were crimson, it wasn't a complete failure was it? And why was it bothering him so much? So it was one girl who didn't go completely weak at his words.

Slightly distraught, Ikuto mumbled the directions to Amu.

Her smile was almost as warm as her eyes as she said a hurried thanks, before running off.

Yes, that girl was an interesting one. He'd have to be careful.

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Hm. Rating may go up. Entirely up to the reader.


	2. Meet Your Match

Wow! You guys wowed me with the reviews, so I just HAD to update! I didn't know this story would be such a hit and I'm really happy about it =D

Yes, reviews make very happy writers! And happy writers like me update as much as I can!

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**The Art of Seduction**

Chapter 2: Meet Your Match

"Now as for the Guardian positions – " The man at the podium was suddenly silenced. The back door of the hall swung open, revealing a lone girl standing right at its center.

The moment she stepped in, all eyes were on her. The auditorium which had once echoed with the boring pleasantries and introductions from Seiyo's professors, deans and the acting director as well as the hushed voices of excited incoming freshman, now fell completely still.

Amu had finally made it to the Freshman Orientation. Granted, she was twenty minutes late, but she was finally there.

The large hall seemed even more intimidating than she had imagined, especially with so many people giving their attention to her - their completely undivided attention to _just_ her.

She could feel her previously reddened face from all the running, suddenly lose all its color. Her expression dropped, wondering desperately how it was that she would get out of such an awkward situation. Somehow, trouble always managed to find her, no matter where she went. The silence was unbearable. She felt as though she could just burst from all those piercing stares. Even if she couldn't see them clearly, she could _feel_ the immense amount of tension from it all.

Amu just had to do something before it drove her completely insane with nervousness. So, she did the only thing she could in the situation.

Her disguise was immediately slipped back in place. Her shoulder length hair, though slightly disheveled from sprinting like an Olympic runner, glimmered as beautifully as ever. Its healthy coat of rosy pink was captivating, as was her honey colored eyes. The somewhat bored expression on her face only amplified her very distinct features, giving her just the attitude that challenged people to stare at her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, lips kept tightly together almost drawing her face into a grimace.

"Yo." She said, finally breaking the silence. Her tone was curt yet nonchalant, as if she didn't even care whether or not the audience was listening. As if she would have said whatever she wanted despite what anyone else thought.

The single syllable sent a wave of whispers to travel the length of the crowd of seated students. All heads had turned to the very back of the auditorium from the moment she had stepped in, barely giving any time of day to those on stage making announcements. Even now, she commanded their attention hardly understanding why she was cursed to do so.

The whispers escalated into distinguishable words that only made Amu's expression fall even more. 'Cool,' 'Amazing,' 'Spicy,' 'Hot,' and 'Beautiful' were among some of the words she had picked up. Yet rather than feeling elated by the compliments, a deep sinking feeling entered the pit of her stomach.

All of her hopes to start off new, to leave that fake 'Cool and Spicy' character behind had failed miserably. That label was to haunt her forever and she guaranteed herself another four years of it just because she was late on her first day of school.

Her eyebrows furrowed together. She was completely disgusted by what was happening and wishing only to get this over with so that she could perhaps salvage the little hope of being just like any other student, she spat another word.

"Continue."

The speaker on the stage was completely stupefied. His mouth gaped at this student's apparent total lack of disrespect. When he had finally caught on that she was already casually walking away, as if she didn't even require a response from him, his expression became stern.

"Your name?" His voice was cold and harsh. Amu just knew that a lecture was waiting for her and she couldn't stand the thought of it being in front of everyone. Attention just wasn't something she liked.

"Amu Hinamori." She sighed, placing her hands into the pockets of her blazer. She strolled over, looking for a seat.

"Well Hinamori-san, students at Seiyo Academy should respect their elders." The professor narrowed his eyes at the girl, hoping to make an example of her to the other students. It just wouldn't do to have an entire school run wild with students like this one. "Please take a seat before the University decides to withdraw your scholarship."

"I was just planning to." Amu said without any particular tone in her voice.

And finally, as if the crowd could not contain themselves any longer, burst out with squealing fans and admirers.

"What an attitude!"

"So cool!"

"Cool and Spicy!"

Amu groaned, trying her very best to simply find a seat so that she could crawl into a ball and ignore the fools who knew nothing about her. More than ever, she missed Ran, Miki and Suu.

"Sit next to me!"

"No, me!"

She resisted making a scowl and simply smiled at them, hoping to just blend in with a crowd. It was going to be a long day. A long four years actually, and Amu had no idea how she would begin to deal with it without her favorite sisters around.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged professor was still standing on the stage, trying desperately to catch the attention of the students. The creases on his forehead seemed to increase and he could feel his hair turn white, just at the thought of _that_ girl. That Amu Hinamori.

Anger boiled up inside of him. Never in his years of teaching had anyone been so offensive. Well, maybe just one he recalled mildly, but _that_ had been with the Director's son. This girl, he could handle her just fine.

Tapping a finger against the microphone, he cleared his throat. The students below were chattering away in excitement, hoping to _befriend _her! He resisted screaming into the microphone and instead smoothed out his thinning back hair, smiling smugly at the thought of what he was about to do.

"Amu Hinamori." And finally for the first time in those five minutes, the speaker had somehow regained the attention of the freshmen.

She turned around to face him, hair slapping at her face in the motion of it. Sighs of admiration swept through the crowd, but she ignored them and wore a slight frown. Adding fuel to the fire she had inadvertently began as higher pitched squeals rang through the auditorium.

His stern expression only grew harder, more severe. He narrowed his already narrowed eyes until they were barely large enough for him to look through. "Pack your things. You are hereby expelled from this school."

She stood completely rigid, never managing to find an appropriate seat, though now she didn't need one. Her eyes widened with shock and shouts of opposition rose in the air.

"No. WHY?"

"She didn't do anything!"

"Is this a military school or an academy?!"

Her whole world was shattered. She had made a life altering decision and somehow managed to mess it up on the very first day.

Her eyes lost its usually glow, her shoulders were tense and Amu lost herself to her thoughts. What was she going to tell her family? Everyone was so excited. Her friends had moved to Japan just for her! How could she tell them that it had all been for nothing?

"Hinamori-san?"

She spun around at the deep voice, very much surprised that she was seated. He was watching her with a concerned expression through beautifully crisp emerald eyes. His orange brown hair though unkempt, was very much suited for his handsome features.

"Are you alright?" His tone was soothing and gave Amu a warm feeling at her chest. He wasn't at all like any of the others.

"Yes," she looked up at him and gave a weak smile. "And you are?"

"Kukai Soma, Jack's chair for the sophomores." he said with a friendly wink that made her blush. She looked away, gaze directed downward as she suddenly noticed that her hand was locked within his.

Jumping up, she turned another shade of red and almost, just almost managed to catch everyone's attention again.

If not for his other hand at her shoulder pushing her back down against the seat.

"Be quiet Amu!" He said a bit urgently, hand still holding hers. "And after I had gone through the trouble of grabbing you away from the middle of the room! Things are finally starting to get settled, so just stay still for a little while. Okay?"

After pulling his hands away, he offered her a light pat. "Us Guardians will take care of things, no problem!"

Before Amu could even ask about the Guardians, or what had possessed the brunet to call her by her first name, someone from her left side spoke.

"I still can't believe that Ikuto Tsukiyomi is actually standing up for someone. He never even comes to these orientations." His voice was soft but kind and suited well with his silky purple hair and warm hazelnut colored eyes. If he had grown out his hair, Amu was certain that it would be the most beautiful hair anyone would ever see. She could only stare at him, speechless.

"Maybe Yoru convinced him?" Kukai spoke, his eyes focused on the stage.

"Unlikely." He sighed. "Tsukiyomi isn't the type to listen to anyone."

Amu shuffled in place, wondering why that name sounded so familiar. She couldn't understand why it was making her so antsy either. Something about that name gave her the shivers.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the male beside her who was quick to notice the girl's discomfort. "Don't worry. Sensei doesn't have the power to expel you."

She looked at him, worry clearly written all over her face. "A-Are you sure?"

He chuckled lightly, before placing two hands on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

"I'm positive."

Amu gave a huge sigh of relief. "Thanks…um…"

"I'm Nagihiko Fujisaki, King's chair of the sophomores." His smile was infectious and Amu found that her lips were curving up almost immediately in response.

"It's nice to meet you." The rosette's smile grew wider. It really was nice to meet people who didn't put her up on an imaginary pedestal, especially such kind people who were making it their business to help her, even if they had never met before.

"Likewise." He slipped his hands away from her shoulders. Amu, slow to realize that those hands had been resting upon her all that time, looked awkwardly away as a small blush found its way on her cheeks.

She scanned the length of the large hall, noting that she must have been dragged some distance as she was now at the front. The Guardians seemed like important people if they really _could_ do anything about the situation. Having spent her academic years in the United States trudging through elementary, junior high school and high school where the school staff generally had absolute say, she was surprised to see that at Seiyo, students also took part in the administration.

She really was impressed by this school, even if it was giving her a hard time.

Finding that the chaotic crowd of people no longer was of interest, Amu turned around and for the first time since she sat down, got a good look at the stage.

Her mouth gaped slightly at the scene. Without her contacts, the figures on stage did look significantly clearer from a closer distance. Hurriedly, she rummaged through her bag, hands going frantic as she pulled out her glasses. It just couldn't be.

"Oh my God. It's that pervert."

She couldn't help but stare, a little breathless. Seated at the back of a stage was that same pervert she had met that afternoon. Except now that she had her glasses on, he looked very much unlike that blue monster that she had mistaken him for.

No wonder he acted like such an ass. He was drop dead gorgeous and he knew it.

He leaned back casually against his seat, beside his fellow Guardians. His arms were crossed and he seemed as calm as ever, even with the evil professor from hell half screaming at him.

She hadn't noticed before how his defined jaw framed his handsome face, or how his hair swept carelessly over his beautiful eyes. Or how his shirt beneath his blazer revealed just the mildest curves and arches of his, most likely, well toned body. Or how his lips curved up into the most mischievous smirk that made his expression dance with amusement.

"Amu, are you alright?" Nagihiko tapped her arm, trying to get her attention. "I hope you don't mind that I call you Amu."

The pink haired girl pulled her gaze away from the stage so quickly, her glasses almost fell off.

"And w-why wouldn't I be alright?" She asked a bit defensively.

The brunet to her right stifled his laughter. "Y-you…hahaha…look…like…a…cat caught in headlights!" He exploded with laughter, hand clutching his stomach.

"Kukai!" She yipped with her face once again a rosy hue.

"So I take it that it's okay for me to call you Amu too?" His laughter abated and now he wore a dazzling smile, followed by his signature wink.

She looked away, pulse rising just the slightest, before responding. "Y-yes, that's fine."

"Wonderful. I think we're going to be good friends Amu." Nagihiko smile brightly, immediately easing away Amu's embarrassment.

The girl let out a huge breath of relief. Now that her new friends were properly distracted, she wouldn't have to explain herself.

"So what's with the staring Amu? Got the hots for Tsukiyomi?" Kukai asked casually, slinging an arm over her shoulder.

She turned livid. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" She screeched loud enough to draw attention on herself. "I would NEVER fall for a pervert like _that_, thank you very much. He's such a jerk!"

Nagihiko seemed startled while Kukai simply sent Ikuto a smug grin, who upon catching Kukai's expression, approached the microphone with a set of slightly darkened eyes.

"Now, now _Amu_. Don't be so cold."

"Wh-who said you could call me Amu?!" She clenched her fists, forgetting that she was in front of an audience. A very large one at that. A jerk was still a jerk, no matter how good looking he was.

Not that she was admitting that he was anything special.

He simply smirked. "What, that's the thanks I get for giving you directions?"

Amu's cheeks reddened as she screamed back. "Yeah, it only took me about 20 minutes to drag the information out of you. And hmm, great directions these are when you somehow _miraculously_ got here before me!" Really, she half suspected him of making her take the longest path here.

Ikuto combed a hand through his hair, easily eliciting a series of contented sighs from the females in the crowd. "I can't help it if I have long legs."

"Tch." She crossed her arms. "If you were coming here, you could have at least brought me with you."

"I didn't know you were so desperate for my company."

Amu grinded her teeth, fists still clenched in frustration. Being so distracted by the sexy – cross that- the image of such an annoyingly smug pervert, she had not noticed the crowd screaming "Cool and Spicy" or "What a hotty" among other things. Neither had she noticed the fuming man who was being entirely ignored.

"I don't want your company, you ass." She seethed between her teeth.

For a moment, Ikuto almost seemed taken back by her words. She _did not_ just say that to him. A female refusing his company? There must be something wrong with this girl.

There just must be. No girl in their right mind would turn him down, or even scream at the sight of him when they first meet him. Well, scream in fear at least.

His eyebrows were drawn together in a tight 'v'. His darkened eyes revealed none of his thoughts and his usual smirk was dropping at an alarming rate, turning into a frown.

No, this Amu wasn't normal. He had known it the first time he met her. It was his curiosity about her that convinced him to pay a visit, even though he hadn't planned to. It wasn't exactly that he had even gone to this orientation thing specifically for her, but rather it was something he was supposed to do anyway. And at the very least, he knew that it would be interesting.

And she had confirmed his suspicions – that she was someone he had to watch out for. Upon walking into the room, people were left in awe at the sight of her sleek pink hair, innocent rosy cheeks and enchanting golden eyes. She had immediately commanded the attention of everyone and left them impressed by uttering a simple word. Her splendor naturally drew people in, whether or not she knew it herself.

Put simply, Amu Hinamori was _beautiful_. She made heads turn. She could mesmerize anyone with a simple stare – her eyes were just that incredible. Heck, she had done it to Ikuto. _The _Ikuto Tsukiyomi, natural born player. The Sex God.

He cursed inwardly. Amu Hinamori was competition. He had finally met his match.

So why was it that he was helping her?

"It's a shame Amu." He spoke carefully, eyes gazing straight into hers. "And to think I was making a case that as a freshman, you should be excused for your mistakes."

Her jaw dropped at his words, eyes widening almost as much as when she had first seen him through her glasses. Even with them on, Ikuto was able to pick her out of the crowd. He had seen the way she looked at him, mouth gaping as she was probably in shock that she'd see him there.

He smirked. As much as he hated to admit it, it was exactly that expression of hers that made him want to show up.

"A-are you s-serious?!" She squeaked with her hands folded in front of her and her cheeks threatening to light the room in a red glow. "You would help…me?"

Ikuto nodded, all the while smirking as he relished the sight of her embarrassment. Sure, he could make any girl nervous, embarrassed, to the point that they'd faint even. But Amu's flustered state somehow seemed so much more enjoyable, especially when she was staring up with such adorable pleading eyes.

He inwardly winced. What was happening to him? Had this girl managed to turn the tables against him?

She looked up, eyes moist with happiness and smiled so widely, it threatened to split her face in half.

Ikuto responded with a grin of his own, surprised by the curve of his lips.

So what if he was actually helping someone? It didn't seem like such a bad thing at this moment.

He cursed under his breath. This girl was good. No wonder she became instantly as popular as he was. Did he really want her to stick around? He could sit around without doing anything and let her get kicked out. Then he'd have the entire school at the palm of his hands again, instead of having to take it back from this girl. Isn't that what he wanted?

Well...

Reluctantly, he pulled his gaze away from her golden orbs turning towards the fuming professor.

"Takashi sensei. If you recall in article 3B of your contract stating the rules of your assignment, you'll see that it clearly states that all matters of a student's attendance will fall under the Administration's attention and must be personally signed off by the Director himself." Ikuto faced the Director and saw him tighten his lips into a thin line, before giving him a nod.

He hadn't noticed Amu staring at him, entirely startled and impressed by his actions. That same conceited pervert from that afternoon was helping her? She just couldn't believe her ears and was only further shocked to see that he wasn't just talk. He was _good_. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Well what do you know. He actually has a heart."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Kukai mumbled hesitantly. Amu spun around, turning her attention to her friends.

"Amu, you know Tsukiyomi-san?" Nagihiko asked politely.

She brought a hand to her head, scratching it awkwardly. "Well, not exactly. I met him this morning and he gave me directions here."

Nagihiko's eyes widened. "He…gave…_directions_?"

"What's the big deal?"

"Oh no no no. I can't believe he's moved on to freshmen. The nerve of him!" Nagihiko was tapping his foot impatiently against the ground.

Amu couldn't understand his panic.

"Ikuto Tsukiyomi doesn't do anything without expecting something in return." Kukai said darkly. "You'd better be careful."

"Oh, I know." The pink haired girl said carelessly, just remembering Ikuto's – no – Tsukiyomi's attempt to scare her off. It wasn't a big deal though. She had stood her ground and made it clear that she would refused his help if he was planning to make good on his perverted statement.

Kukai looked horrified. "You _know?!_"

"Yeah, and he's not so bad I guess. A little on the perverted side. But he gave me the directions anyway, even after I told him I wasn't gonna do anything I didn't want to."

His emerald eyes widened. His expression was a mixture of horror, but at the same time, a growing respect. "You refused Tsukiyomi? You're really one of a kind Amu." Gradually, his countenance softened, eyes twinkling their incredible emerald as he watched Amu smile warmly at his words.

"I wouldn't be so sure about him not being so bad." Nagihiko interrupted their silent staring contest, causing Amu to blush.

"Yeah. Considering he just did you a MAJOR favor." Kukai sighed, concern leaking through his words.

"What? Why?" She asked, urgency just building as a feeling of foreboding overcame her.

"If it's Tsukiyomi…"

"What? What is it Nagihiko?"

"Boy am I glad I was born a guy." Kukai muttered under his breath.

"What is it guys? He can't be so bad right?" Amu shifted uncomfortably. He just couldn't be if he had managed to keep her in school. Her thoughts flashed back to their earlier conversation. Despite his rough exterior, he had helped her in the end after all. "I think you guys are exaggerating. He's a perfectly nice person underneath it all."

Nagihiko shook his head in pity. "My poor poor Amu. Ikuto Tsukiyomi is…"

"Quite a character Amu nya." A new voice joined in, abruptly stopping Nagihiko from revealing any more. He had the messiest hair, the same dark blue as Ikuto's and his eyes were luminescent, reflecting the light of the room with a bright yellow. And his arm currently hooked over Amu's shoulders, pulling her to his side.

"More like every father's nightmare, Yoru." Kukai barked as he pulled Amu back from the smiling senior Jack.

"Amu, just stay away from Tsukiyomi. It's a well known fact that he'll steal your virginity if you're within a 5 feet radius of him." Nagihiko warned.

"What?!" Amu jumped, causing Kukai to grip her arms a little tightly to stop her movements.

"Nah, that's not true." Yoru smiled. "It's 20 feet and he'll do it with just his voice."

"WHAT?!" The rosette was fast becoming as pink as her hair. "Y-you m-mean I j-just let a p-pervert help me? And…"

"He'll probably be expecting some return favors." Nagihiko spoke grimly, watching Amu lose all the color in her face.

"F-f-f-favors?!"

"Relax Amu-chan. I was just kidding. Ikuto's not like that." Yoru soothed, brushing Kukai's hands off from her shoulders.

So dazed as she was, Amu could not even demand that Yoru use her last name. She was completely shocked, had stopped breathing some time ago and she stared down at the floor in horror. Her eyes wanted to dart towards that tall, lean figure on the stage, but she refused to let them, certain that her expression would only twist even more if possible.

Nagihiko walked to her side and wrapped an arm around her to support her from tipping over while Yoru and Kukai continued to bicker.

"What are you talking about Yoru? He is _exactly_ like that. He's a damn danger to the school." Kukai glared at the still smiling man who had, at some time ago hopped off the stage to speak to Amu. Yoru always had particularly good hearing.

"You're just jealous nya."

"And you're his best friend who will say anything to help him!"

"He's misunderstood."

"He's a playboy!"

"Guys, I think Amu passed out." It was true. Right within the kind Nagihiko's arms was an unconscious Amu. Even though her eyes were closed, her heated rosy cheeks were still no where near their normal shade.

"Aww…she's so cute." Yoru teased, attempting to poke her nose. Kukai swiped it away. "I can see why you like her."

"I don't like her!" Kukai glared at him. "I'm just trying to protect her from the school's Sex Maniac."

"You mean Sex God."

He visibly shuddered, not at all comfortable talking about it.

"And I can see why she's the next target." Without another word, Yoru made his way out the door to follow the professor, Ikuto and the director. He had seen them leave some time ago to settle the matters of Amu's stay.

If Ikuto was personally entangling himself in all that administrative work he hated to do when he usually pushed it all onto Yoru, then this girl _must _be of some interest. And if Yoru had any hope of getting Ikuto to cover his own work for the rest of the year, then he'd better make sure that Amu stayed around.

* * *

This chapter felt so unfocused! I hope the transitions were alright. I kept jumping around from one person's point of view to another…

Now as for the rating. How many of you would like this to go to an M? If enough of you do, I'll most likely increase the rating. If not, I'll keep this at a T and possible include M rated chapters separately.


	3. Ran's Nemesis

Read and review please! Give me some love, and I'll show you Ikuto's and Amu's!

* * *

**The Art of Seduction**

Chapter 3: Ran's Nemesis

"SHH Yaya. Leave her alone."

"But Yaya wants to see who she is!"

"You can see after she gets up."

Amu's eyelids fluttered at the sound of the voices as she struggled to open her eyes. She was slowly returning to awareness. Her arms, for some reason, were pressed tightly against her chest the entire time like an instinctive need to protect herself. Even when she had slipped into the depths of darkness, falling into the silence of her unconscious, Amu was plagued with fitful sleep.

"Amu," came a gentle voice, one that she immediately recognized.

Nagihiko rested a hand lightly against her shoulder, watching the vulnerable figure of Amu lying on a bed in the nursing ward. Her vivid pink hair seemed oddly out of place in the barren white of the walls. He drew the curtains open, disliking the quietness more and more. The way the cloth was draped around the bed for the purpose of privacy only enhanced the sickly atmosphere.

He scrunched his nose in abhorrence of it all. Amu's rosy features, her colorful expression, her liveliness just did not belong here.

"Na…gi…hiko?" She muttered, eyes opening slowly just in time to catch the concerned gaze of her friend. Still groggy from sleep, she looked up in confusion, very much uncertain as to how she ended up there.

"You can relax now Amu." He said with a sigh of relief. He gently trailed his hand down her arm, until it had reached her tense hands, still stiff from shielding herself. He clasped her fist, prying her fingers open and lightly tugged her arms away from her chest.

"Relax?" Amu wondered, still not understanding why her arms had been wrapped around herself all along as she slept, but allowed Nagihiko to ease her tense muscles away. It was the way he spoke and looked at her so warmly that earned absolute trust from her.

"Nagihiko…" Amu's voice was timid, her cheeks slightly rosy from the apparent intimacy of his actions. "What happened?"

Hand still holding hers, he smiled sweetly at her innocent tone. "You fainted…"

Amu suddenly jolted up, eyes wide, every fiber of her being in sudden shock at her realization. "TH-THAT P-PERVERT!" She screeched in absolute horror. "No, no, no, no!"

The sound of the door sliding open distantly reached her ears, but Amu was too busy holding her head steady from its incessant shaking that she did not acknowledge the presence of the two creeping hesitantly into the room.

Nagihiko's hand gripped hers more tightly in reassurance. "Don't worry Amu. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Nagihiko…" Her nervous head twitch immediately stopped, her once flailing arms now flaccid at her side. Nagihiko's warm hazelnut eyes revealed kindness, warmth and concern. She felt so at peace with him, it was hard to believe that they had only just met.

"Stop pouting Kukai!" A high pitched childish voice pulled Amu away from her gaze at the purple haired bishounen, her cheeks still tinted pink from inadvertently watching him for too long. Her honey colored orbs darted to the side, purposely avoiding Nagihiko's growing smile at her shy actions.

"I'm not pouting Yaya!" Kukai cried in opposition crossing his arms as an expression of indignation spread through his usual smiling features.

"Are too!" A girl in pigtails appeared from behind the sophomore Jack. She was below his shoulder height and took it upon herself to tug her arms around his neck as she squealed her words.

Amu watched the scene curiously. The girl looked like such a child, especially standing next to Kukai. His orange-brown hair, bordering a warm amber, now seemed more disheveled than ever with the way the strands were poking every which way and that as Yaya shook him around.

"Yaya!" He chided, sending a glance to the girl to get off of him.

She pulled away reluctantly, wearing a pout of her own. "I just don't see why you're so interested in -"

Another glare from Kukai's usual bright green eyes, though now darker than usual, silenced the hyperactive girl. After peeping down, Yaya peeked over his side, just catching a glimpse of the patient on the bed before her eyes suddenly broadened at the scene.

A large grin made its way to Amu's face as she watched the girl stare at her with her eyes wide. This Yaya reminded her so much of her little sister, she may have actually been able to compete with Ami's cuteness. And she seemed to have just as much energy as Ran, something Amu never thought possible from another human being.

"Oh." Yaya pulled her gaping jaw back up. "No wonder."

Then before waiting for a response from the somewhat confused rosette, she turned to Kukai once again, elbowing his side slightly.

"You dog." A dull shade of pink rose in Kukai's face and he quickly cleared his throat.

Amu cocked her head to the side, silently questioning the brunet to explain the joke, but it seemed as if he had not caught her expression since he was clearly looking away from her at the moment.

Nagihiko chuckled, causing Kukai to spin around and send him a glare.

"Getting Amu adjusted I see."

The purple haired man grinned smugly. "Does that bother you?"

Not at all noticing their silent rivalry, Yaya ran towards Amu, immediately grabbing the rosette who still remained dazed on the bed as she sat up.

"I'm Yaya! So you're that Amu Kukai keeps talking about!" She shook the rosette's hand vigorously until Amu was almost certain her arm would fall off.

"Uh, yeah I'm Amu Hinamori." She pulled away her hand slightly, just about to lose herself to motion sickness.

"I want to call you Amu-chi. Is that okay?" Yaya hopped up onto the bed, causing the rosette to grunt at the breath of air that was knocked out of her.

"S-sure." She laughed half-heartedly. With the way the girl's pigtails were flying around, Amu couldn't possibly resist her cute voice. Although in all honestly, she was just a bit fearful of her seemingly ceaseless reserve of energy.

As if reading her thoughts, Nagihiko slipped two hands under the bouncing girl and carried her off of the bed. Yaya struggled and kicked, though never once losing her cheerfulness as she continued her screams of wanting to be close to the new girl. With a sigh, Nagihiko rubbed his arms, not at all appreciating the multiple hits he had taken for Amu's sake.

"Yaya, there's cake in the auditorium." Kukai said simply, though Amu had caught onto the sudden glint in his eyes. Without a second of delay, the girl had bounced out of the room. Amu could only hear her receding voice calling out "Nice to meet you Amu-chi!"

Muffled chuckles escaped her lips as she watched Yaya disappear. She could still hear the quick pace of the childish girl's footsteps as they pattered away. "Gosh I think Ran would love to meet her."

Kukai groaned mildly, slowly approaching the bed. "It was cute when we were young. But really, she just has too much energy now, which wouldn't be all that bad if she used it for something useful."

Seeing Amu's confusion, he continued. "Oh, Yaya. She's been a childhood friend of mine. Actually, she just got accepted to Seiyo this year. Went completely psycho when she found out."

He sighed, sitting at the end of Amu's bed. The bed dipped down at his weight, its motion catching Amu's attention. Kukai watched her carefully through his messy bangs. He stared at her intently, crisp emerald eyes fixated at her own golden yellow orbs – the beautiful pools of gold that were distinctly Amu.

Her eyes remained glued to him, not quite sure whether her blush would be rosier if she maintained the gaze or looked away.

Kukai turned around, facing away from her seated figure. His eyes seemed to follow her even when he pulled his head towards the other direction, as if reluctant to part from her rosy countenance.

He swallowed, throat suddenly coarse, before finding his voice to speak again. It was strange how constricted his throat felt considering how the Jack had rarely found himself tongue-tied. He had impressed everyone with his friendly extroverted nature and was given his Guardian position for that reason, often acting as part of the school's welcoming committee or anything that required sensational speaking skills. Yet here he was, finding for the first time that his usual outward nature was stripped down to the less impressive, less confident version of himself.

So he did what he hadn't had to do in a long time. It was nifty trick he had learned in his debate class, that is to divert the audience's attention. He flashed a dazzlingly confident smile, radiating of unbidden cheerfulness. "Especially after I had gotten in, she said that she would definitely make it in too. I guess those two years of preparation really helped her."

Nagihiko took his seat beside Amu's bed, sending short glances in Kukai's direction. The Jack had seemed a little too close the rosette and Nagihiko _had_ just promised her that he would let nothing happen to her. For a second there, he swore that he noticed Kukai's grin a little higher than usual, somewhat strained even. Although they had only been together for two years, Nagihiko had grown close enough to Kukai to understand that he was simply hiding behind that confident disguise. And he didn't like it one bit.

"It worked out well that you're two years older. Yaya only wanted to get in so badly because you were here." Nagihiko said matter-of-factly, his usual warm tone sounding a little colder than what Amu was used to.

Amu raised her eyebrow, causing Kukai to wave his arms in from of him in defense. "No, no, _no._ It's not like that at _all_. We've just been friends forever. We've always been together. And quite honestly, if she hadn't applied herself so much in the last two years, I'd have no idea how she would've made it."

"She's a cutie." The pink haired girl played with the bedsheets, crumpling them within the crevices between her fingers.

Kukai spun around at her words, immediately catching her stare. "She's like a little sister to me." He quickly clarified, lips tightening slightly. He seemed deep in thought, intentionally avoiding Amu's eyes. "Nothing more."

He brought his head up and flashed a smile that made Amu's cheeks heat up.

Looking away, he folded his hands behind his messy orange hair. "God, she was just so unfocused before. Can you imagine, a sugar high AND a short attention span?"

"It can't be that bad." Amu muttered, mildly recalling Ran's antics. Really, nothing seemed all that bad compared to that girl.

Nagihiko looked horror struck. "And I thought she was bad now!"

"You have no idea." Kukai joked. "But anyway, she's…" he turned to look at Amu and seeing no reaction from her, continued in a cheerful voice, masking the very subtle sigh he breathed out. "She's most likely going to become one of the freshmen Guardians. Although she might not look it, Yaya's one hell of a dancer. She came here with a full scholarship for ballet and only the most accomplished students are even nominated to be a Guardian."

"Plus, she already knows all about the Guardians." Nagihiko smiled slyly. "Seeing how she came here specifically to be one."

"The Guardians…" Amu's voice trailed off. From the moment she had stepped onto Seiyo's campus, it was all she had seemed to hear about. Her head bobbed up with interest, curiosity peaked at the sound of the familiar yet mysterious term.

Wasn't that Ikuto Tsukiyomi also a Guardian?

Catching her own thoughts, she cursed silently to herself. She couldn't help but let her mind wander. There was just something about him that caught her attention. He had been rude, arrogant, and self-satisfied but she was certain she sensed the slightest hint of humanity in him. He seemed like such a loner, her chest tightened at the thought. In fact, he reminded her very much of herself – misunderstood by so many at school, never being able to relax around others. Not until now.

"Oh yes. We must apologize for Ikuto Tsukiyomi's behavior. Most Guardians are nothing like that." Nagihiko spoke, as if reading Amu's mind. "You'd best stay away from him."

She blinked twice, causing the King's chair to sigh in worry.

"He really doesn't seem so bad Nagihiko…" She began, wondering how she would have felt if all her classmates had entirely cast her out. "He's just –"

"Oh? Miss Amu Hinamori finally showing interest in-" But before Kukai could finish his teasing, Amu interrupted with a huff.

"I'm _not_." She crossed her arms, forehead creased as her brows were pulled into a strained downward angle. "I just think it isn't fair to judge before you really understand someone."

"Amu, you're very sweet." Nagihiko said simply, as if stating a fact rather than offering a compliment. "But do you not remember the reason you fainted?"

Amu's eyes widened, mouth parted slightly, before she allowed her forehead to fall against her palm. Her cheeks blossomed a lovely crimson and the purple haired Nagihiko smiled with amusement at the fact that the innocent girl really _had_ forgotten.

She muttered something incoherently under her breath, chiding herself for being so easily tricked. That was exactly what a menace like that Ikuto wanted. First lull the victim into a false sense of security and then…

She frantically waved her hands in front of her, trying to sweep away the thoughts. No, she wasn't thinking of his soft cobalt hair just hiding those pools of mysterious yet somehow forlorn azure eyes, or how his dejected figure seemed so lonely when she had run off after he had given her directions. The eyes that had captured her attention for a full fifteen seconds upon first glancing into them weren't all that amazing, even if they revealed a tumult of emotions that the man had seemed too skilled at hiding.

No, the reason that Amu was apparently so fixated on this new character was because he peaked her curiosity. It was his arrogance, his lack of manners and his forwardness that was cause for her thoughts. It was that personality that had to be fixed.

Amu Hinamori simply could not sit still with him flashing that attitude around. It was nothing more than that. A pure dislike of his disrespectful behavior.

It annoyed her, ticked her off, but most definitely not up to the point that she would not heed Nagihiko's warnings. "Point taken. I'll stay as far away from that pervert as possible."

"You can try nya." Standing in the middle of the open doorway, was Yoru with as smug of an expression as Amu had seen Ikuto wear when they had first met. He leaned against the frame casually, crossing his arms as he eyed the two males beside the pink haired freshman. "But Ikuto always gets what he wants. In the end, no one can resist him."

Amu's body jerked slightly in surprise by the voice. Nagihiko and Kukai spun around to face the newcomer, both their shoulders suddenly tense as they watched Yoru saunter his way into the room.

"You're…Yoru, right?" Amu stared shamelessly at the male who always seemed to have a friendly grin on his face. It amazed her how he continuously popped up out of nowhere in every instance Ikuto Tsukiyomi became the topic of discussion.

"So you remember, Amu-chan." He was light on his feet and he seemed to have a constant case of bedhead.

She scrunched her nose at him, taking in his appearance with interest yet slight repulsion. They were college students after all, but Yoru looked like he had just woken up. Even now, his mess of hair ruffled messily on top at either sides of his head, curiously forming the illusion of soft dark blue ears. He looked more like… Amu searched for the word in her head, before settling for 'cat'. Yes, he looked more like a cat than a college student.

When her mind finally settled the discrepancy it was so bothered by before, Amu suddenly remembered her suspicions. "Why do you always show up when we talk about him?"

He shrugged, though his saffron eyes gleamed with the barest hint of amusement.

And then it hit her – Yoru's complete faith in the pervert, the way his eyes lit up in admiration and respect, the way he spoke so confidently about Ikuto, constantly lavishing him with compliments even when he wasn't aware that he was doing it…

"Oh my god." She brought a hand to her mouth as she gasped, causing everyone in the room to look at her.

"You're gay. You're Ikuto's gay lover."

For the first time, Yoru lost the grin that had previously seemed to be glued onto his face. Nagiehiko stared at Amu, mouth gaping and Kukai wore a large smile, before flashing Amu a thumbs up.

"What?" She asked innocently, spinning her head around to meet all the stares of disbelief. "Oh right," she suddenly remembered. "Ikuto can't be gay, but maybe Yoru has a gay crush."

Yoru grumbled and Amu half expected to hear a hiss from the way his hair stood on end. She jumped up, almost falling off the bed at Yoru's normally twinkling eyes narrowed into sharp piercing glares.

"Why you?" He muttered under his breath. "Of all the stupid girls Ikuto could've had, he had to choose the dumbest one."

"Yoru!" Nagihiko chided.

"Amu's not dumb! Right Amu?" Kukai hooked an arm around the rosette as soon as she rose from the ground. "In fact she's…"

In a matter of seconds, Kukai's bright expression fell. Pulling her closer towards him, he did not notice the soft blush that graced her cheeks. "What'd you get in here for?" He whispered surreptitiously.

Yoru looked as if he was about to explode from laughter. With his incredible hearing, he had not missed any of the words. "You don't even know what she's studying?! God it's like you guys just met!"

"We _did_ just meet!" Amu snapped back.

Yoru raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I guess I just sort of assumed with the way you're all so touchy."

His statement immediately pulled a dark blush from Amu's cheek and she hurriedly stepped three feet away from Kukai as the brunet quickly retrieved his arms and looked away with just as much discomfort.

"W-we're not touchy!"

Yoru rolled his eyes at them. "And you must not be very smart to even make that statement."

Amu glared at him, disliking his nonchalance more and more. "I'm plenty smart!" Normally, it wasn't something she would say. She might have always thought it, but never would Amu say it out loud for the risk of sounding smug. It was the worst thing she hated in a person – arrogance – and it seemed like Ikuto and his friend Yoru was in no shortage of it.

"Fine, fine." Yoru said, lifting his arms as if admitting defeat. "What were you accepted for then?"

Nagihiko and Kukai turned to look at Amu, curiosity clearly written on their faces. Really, they knew nothing about the girl they had just met, only that she was innocent, sweet, apparently prone to trouble, and incredibly beautiful. Intelligent? Probably, as was all of the students at Seiyo, but what was her specialty?

"Uh. What was I accepted for?" Amu echoed, eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. "For being smart?"

His lips upturned into a pleased smirk, as if proving his point. "Everyone applies to the Academy under their specialties. Soma for soccer and Fujisaki for theater for example."

She bit her lip, hearing the undisguised tone of taunting dripping from his words. Was that true? Everyone applied under a specialty? Amu had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. She had simply applied, submitted all the proper paperwork, and was accepted.

Or maybe they had made a mistake? And if the professor had threatened to kick her out, then she had no chance of having the school overlook the mistake they had made.

"I…just applied. That's all. No one said anything about…" Her golden eyes looked away from Yoru's expectant stare. Her cheeks heated up in shame and she had a hard time hiding it from her diminishing words.

Nagihiko's eyes flared, tinged slightly red with anger at the edges of his usual warm hazelnut orbs. They were directed solely at Yoru with such force that the cat-like student suddenly winced at the searing glare he felt before he even saw it. The King was furious and it instilled a fear in Yoru that he had only known with Ikuto.

His tone was cold and sharp, much like his steely glare. "And what was it that you got in here for Yoru? Must I remind you to show a little respect to your fellow classmates?"

His blue hair sank slightly at the words, as if his makeshift cat ears were flopping downwards. Whatever it was that he got in for, Nagihiko had obviously hit a nerve. Seeing Yoru's expression, his eyes became a little less cold.

"Yoru, I apologize."

"Whatever nya." He crossed his arms, refusing to look at anyone. But Amu had caught the glint of sadness in his eyes, and couldn't help but feel immensely terrible at the thought that Nagihiko had only spoken in her defense.

"Yoru…" She took careful steps towards the defeated figure, as if approaching an injured stray. Her eyes leaked of badly hidden concern. Maybe it was because Yoru seemed like an innocent character, despite all his mean taunting. And Amu, knowing better than anyone how miserable it felt to be misunderstood, always believed in the good in all people.

"If it makes you feel better," she reached up over his shoulder. He was slightly taller than her and at this moment, stubbornly faced away from the speakers. "At least you have a specialty. At least you know what you want to do with yourself! Me, I'm just…"

His figure shook slightly, to which Nagihiko and Kukai simply rolled their eyes. While Amu was new and did not know of Yoru's ways, they were already all too familiar with it.

She took a deep gulp before continuing. "I have no idea where my life is heading. The school probably just granted me that lame Seiyo's honorary student scholarship because they didn't have a scholarship for undecided students."

Yoru's body fell still and he spun around, face livid, eyes wide. His impression of her immediately changed. All previous mirth which he had nearly exploded with laughter from completely disappeared. "You're an _honorary student?!_"

"What?" She crossed her arms, a little annoyed that he had seemed to recover almost immediately. "And weren't you upset?"

"Oh no nya. I was just joking, but- "

"Jerk." Amu pouted, half wanting to kick him. She turned on her heels to avoid giving in to her urge, only to catch Nagihiko and Kukai's surprised gazes.

Their jaws hung open.

"_What_?"

"Amu," Nagihiko spoke, eyes never once leaving her. "_Three _students get that scholarship every year, out of the entire freshman class."

"What? Whoa! Seriously?!" The pink haired teenager practically squealed, not believing her ears. They stared at her with awe, not quite certain whether the girl was being serious. How could she not know?

"Amu," Yoru coughed. "I wouldn't worry too much about deciding what to study here nya."

"You're lucky actually. Honorary scholars are probably the only ones who don't have to decide on a major before they apply. Not that it matters much anyway, majors are officially declared at the end of sophomore year."

"B-but," Her voice shook with uncertainty. No one could understand how it felt to be so unsure about their future like Amu, especially if what they were saying was true. "I have no idea what to do…at all!"

Nagihiko approached her, patting a hand reassuringly over her shoulder. "That's probably because you're good at _everything_. That's what your scholarship means. Only well rounded students with a flair for a bit of everything are granted the four year ticket through school."

Kukai mumbled under his breath, words of which only Yoru had caught. "Beautiful _and_ smart."

He rolled his yellow eyes at the infatuated brunet. He'd have to tell Ikuto about that one, but for now, Yoru had joined their conversation for a reason and before he'd let himself get distracted again and risk being chided by the Joker, he had to deliver a message.

"Anyway, the Dean wants all the Guardians to assemble in his office."

A deep sinking feeling pressed at Amu's side as she watched Nagihiko send her a slanted grin and Kukai force a cheerful smile. They were Guardians after all and had their businesses to take care of. Amu? She was just a normal girl who so happened to make friends with people too important to have time for her.

The weight of her sigh was nothing like the weight she felt against her chest. To think she thought that she had finally found a way out of her Cool and Spicy attitude – a safe haven from constantly disguising herself in front of others.

"And you Amu." Yoru said with a wink.

Her rosy cheeks paled. Now that she had been invited, she wasn't too sure she wanted to go.

A second ago, she had wanted to join them but if she was included in this meeting with the dean, then it couldn't be good.

"The d-dean asked for m-me?" she whimpered.

"No, Ikuto did."

And now she knew. Trouble was brewing under the name of Ikuto Tsukiyomi.

* * *

Again, another totally unfocused chapter. So sorry there was no Amuto! I know that's what you're all reading this for. This one was more so to move the plot along a bit and to familiarize the characters. I had a harder time writing this chappy over the last two. (Probably because there was no Ikuto!) I apologize for the fall in the writing style. Hopefully, the next one will be better written as well =X


	4. Punishment

Can you believe it? FOUR chapters in less than a week? I'm on a roll! And now for the bad news...Unfortunately, the next few weeks will be incredibly busy for me. Tests, tests, tests! Which means less updates if any at all :(

(Most likely, I'll end up writing anyway to avoid studying but don't count on it! If I update soon, it just means I'm being a bad student...)

Read and review please!

* * *

**The Art of Seduction**

Chapter 4: Punishment

The atmosphere was stifling; the air in the room, suffocating – betraying the cozy appearance of the carpeted floors and warm mahogany desk. The large office, magnificent like a presidential suite, offered no shortage of grandeur. Maroon drapes hung from the high windows, matching the crimson hue of the wallpaper. Each piece of carefully arranged furniture was made of that same wood, polished until it reflected with a shimmering gleam.

The scent of rich cinnamon wafted across Ikuto's nostrils at each sound of the crackling fireplace. It was almost pleasant to drown himself in the sounds and smells of this familiar room, almost exactly like how he remembered this room to be many years ago. Just almost.

A deep set of azure eyes peaked warily from beneath his arm. His sluggish figure reclined lazily across a leather couch which was obviously too small for his comfort. When he had been a child, it may have been able to accommodate his height, but now, Ikuto's legs dangled over the side of the armrest.

"Ikuto, get of your lazy butt. We'll have company soon. You should at least pretend to show a little respect."

"Don't," His eyes shot open in full fury, "call me Ikuto. That was the name my mother gave me."

He swung his body around, planting his two feet on the ground and rested his elbows against his knees. Leaning forward, he sent a steely glare from under his bangs, as if challenging the man who he was looking at to repeat his name.

The figure stood tall, unflinching though his hands clenched into tight fists in his pockets. His dark black eyes met Ikuto's defiant azure with disapproval. "I don't understand how such a sweet woman could give birth to such a son."

"No, you _don't_ understand." His voice was bitter, so bitter that it clouded the anger that would have otherwise left the man weak at his knees. Although the words were simple, Ikuto's tone reflected not of a twenty-one year old, but rather, of a troubled man of many more years and many more experiences that had turned him cold.

"You're lucky you are your mother's son. If it weren't for that then…"

Ikuto scoffed, closing his eyes as he leaned back. He did not need that man to see how he riled him up.

"May I remind you that you are the one asking me for a favor, Tsukiyomi."

"And may I remind _you_ who owns this school?" His deep voice was gruff and much coarser than he was used to.

The balding man took a mild step back before fixing his suit. "_That_, my dear son," he spat "is of no concern. The contents of the will," he paused to give just enough time for Ikuto to wince, "clearly state that even as its official owner, you have no rule over it. Not until you are married with your own family. Until then, I am the acting director."

"A place holder." Ikuto responded without delay. "Nothing more."

The man's stern gaze sharpened. His lips tightened and the corners of his eyes creased with new wrinkles of frustration.

"If you're wondering why my mother didn't give you half the school, it's because she never trusted you." Ikuto knew he was lying, that the only reason his mother had given her children everything in the will was because of her constant concern for their future, especially over the child who had seemed to drift through his entire life. That she had given her second husband so much power, especially while setting stipulations that Ikuto may never meet, was a testament to her trust in this other man.

Bitterness swelled up in him, eating his insides raw. Why couldn't his mother have seen that this man could never replace his father? That he had only been in the marriage for their money which his father had left behind?

"And even so," the director said between clenched teeth. "It is _I_ with the power to help you. Don't you forget that. If it wasn't for that promise I made to your mother –"

Ikuto snorted, clearly revealing his skepticism that such a man could even keep promises.

His coal black eyes darkened if possible, at the impertinent boy. "One simple call and I can get that girl kicked out."

Ikuto straightened up, tense at his words. He twined his fingers together, pressing into the back of his hands until they bruised.

Observing the young man's sudden change, he smirked. "So I've found Ikuto Tsukiyomi's weakness?" He taunted.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ikuto growled. It wasn't as if he was desperate for that girl to stay. He had only decided to help her on merely a whim. How dare anyone think that they could hold him with a threat, especially with such a weak one that did not concern him at all.

"Fine. Say your goodbyes then. She'll be gone by Monday." The director traced a finger languidly over the telephone keys, slowing pressing them down one by one. "Amu Hinamori was it?" He drawled.

Ikuto's defiant face fell, all color drained from him. "No." No, he did not want this. He could not explain why, but he could not fight the movement of his hand suddenly grabbing the telephone from his stepfather and slamming it down onto the receiver.

The director was in shock. His greased obsidian hair was out of place. It did not suit his gaping mouth or broadened eyes. But just as Ikuto had seen it, it transformed into an expression he did not like at all. He could practically see the conniving man's plotting mind at work, could hear it go into super speed as he confidently spoke his threat.

"And what lengths are you willing to go through to keep her in?"

Ikuto attempted to hide his shudder. "Director," he glared at him. "I think you fail to understand why I stopped you."

He seemed amused by his words. "Oh?"

"It would hardly be fair to expel a student just because of her association with me. The professor had offered an empty threat to begin with."

The man in the suit smirked. "Tsukiyomi, if you knew they were empty threats, why not leave well enough alone? You have only made things worse."

Ikuto cursed under his breath. Boy, hadn't he wished he had done that instead. "Because I can never be sure about _that _professor. I was simply fulfilling my duty as a Joker, to look out for the students."

The man raised an eyebrow of disbelief, crossing his arms as he felt himself regain the control in the flow of the conversation. " 'Fair'? 'Duty'? I had not known these words even existed in your vocabulary. Are you certain you're not just trying to impress the girl?"

"I have no _need_ to impress girls." Ikuto barked back a bit too defensively. He never had to impress them; it was always the girls who went after him. A look of surprise immediately appeared on his face as he observed his own antagonistic stance, ready to pounce on the smirking man for saying something so ridiculous.

But if it was so ridiculous, why was his voice a few volumes louder than usual? Why help a complete stranger at the risk of owing this man a favor? He groaned inwardly. Already he could see the spell Amu Hinamori had begun unintentionally weaving around him. What was it about her? The look of defiance in her golden eyes? Or was it simply because she was an enigma wrapped in a puzzle – the only girl who, without hesitation – would reject him? Maybe it was just the fact that she would prove a challenge that intrigued him.

He was undoubtedly drawn to her, like a moth to a flame that only gets burnt in the process. Obviously not at the risk of being left heartbroken – Ikuto snorted at the preposterous idea, but burnt in the sense that she would be his downfall in this ever lasting struggle for power he had with his stepfather.

Yet knowing this did little to help him cast aside the girl. Even Ikuto had his values. Wile it had been on a whim, he had made a promise to her. Neither of them needed to stay it out loud – Amu's eyes of pleading and desperation had been enough to make him understand.

She was certainly more trouble than she was worth, but it did not sit well with Ikuto to know that she would be kicked out specifically because he had interfered when she may have been spared if he had done nothing at all.

"It's not her fault." He sighed under the director's scrutinizing gaze. This was exactly the reason he never bothered to help anyone – it only made things worse.

"I suppose it isn't." The director spoke with triumph clearly dancing across his eyes. "She just picked the wrong person to trust."

Ikuto fumbled with his pockets, avoiding the man's gaze. Silently, he was cursing out the existence of this girl. Never before had he conceded to the man he had despised while growing up and now he was back up against a corner with no options. He clenched his teeth in determination. After he cleared his conscience by returning her to the school, good riddance! He hoped never to cross paths with her again.

"It would be such a shame," the man in the suit fell against the seat. Crossing his hands over the table, he carried on in his business-like tone. "She's one of the Seiyo's University Scholar's after all. It would have been a shame to lose such a fine student."

Ikuto stared at him blankly. "_That_ girl?" He had a hard time keeping his surprise at bay. Certainly, he sensed intelligence in her eyes, but after hearing her stutter uncontrollably, he had his doubts. Then as if suddenly catching on, his dark blue eyes widened "…would have been…?"

The man at the desk allowed himself to smile. Unfolding his hands, he spoke. "Of all the girls, I'd have to approve of this one."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He snapped back, as if the director was in any position to give him approval – like he even wanted it! If anything, the man had made the decision for him. Ikuto was now more certain than ever – he had to stay away from Amu. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.

The director's grin widened, "Now as for what I want from you…"

A shiver raked Ikuto's tall frame as he prepared for the worse. "You want me to sign over the school to you right?"

"What? Do you really think I'm that evil Ikuto?"

The man didn't need an answer to understand the glare of bitterness Ikuto had been sending him nonstop since his wife's – and Ikuto's mother's- death. A frown donned his middle-aged features, adding to the creases of his forehead. He appeared older than he was – what little youth he possessed after her accident had been worn away by Ikuto's behavior.

"I just want a little respect Ikuto, for you to acknowledge me as your stepfather."

The grief in the man's thick tone almost lulled Ikuto's piercing glare to soften slightly.

"I'm not as easily played as my mother." He said coldly, defensive walls immediately back in place. "And don't call me Ikuto. I swear I'll hurt more than just your reputation if you do it again."

"Ik-Tsukiyomi," he corrected himself upon catching Ikuto's enraged expression. His eyebrows raised in slight surprise by the words his stepson had spoken.

"Don't think I don't know, _stepdad_." He smirked. "How bothered you are having me around, ruining the precious school, your precious reputation." He paused for effect. "I'll have you know, that's _exactly_ why I do it."

"So you sleep with half the school to get back at me?!" His pudgy cheeks grew red with anger. "It was your _father's_ precious school, damn it. You should appreciate that I'm taking care of it, especially with your mother gone!"

"Yes, it was my _father's_. Never yours!"

His beady black eyes narrowed. Although he was slightly shorter than Ikuto, he was stolidly built. He held his ground and seemed more intimidating than ever. "Fine Ikuto. I thought we could get along more easily, but I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

Ikuto slumped back against the couch. Closing his eyes to avoid his stepfather's dark foreboding eyes, he allowed the insufferable silence to carry on. He swallowed the knot at his throat, trying to let the scent of rich cinnamon and the sound of the cackle of fire drown out the rush of blood pulsing hard against his ears, trying to remember the fading face of his mother and father as he recalled the warm afternoons he had spent in this same office he used to love.

_When he was innocent. _

He sighed._ But that had all changed._

A light rapping at the door interrupted his thoughts, but Ikuto paid little heed to it and simply turned on his side with some difficulty, tucking his legs beneath him to feign sleep.

"Hoshina-sama, have you made your decision?" the soft voice of the previously screaming professor would have been unrecognizable to the napping young man, had he not known of Professor Takashi's bipolar tendency. At one moment, he was the epitome of what all students hated in authority figures, in the very next, he was constantly bowing down in modesty – exposing his badly disguised bald head to reveal a tasteless comb-over. Of course, it was only the Director who was ever flashed with that image of the shiny baldness.

Unfolding his hands from his lap, the Director stood up, not at all expecting Ikuto to get the door even if he had asked him to. Neatening his cuffs, he whispered to Ikuto as he passed him by. "Straighten yourself out boy. This is a university after all."

Grumbling, he pulled himself off of the couch. No matter how much he disliked this man, it would not be wise to disobey such a simple request – not when he now had a debt to pay him. His ears pricked up at their conversation and he resisted the urge to physically hurl at the fake exchanges of the two men.

"Please, just Kazuomi is fine. We are equals after all."

"No, sir. I couldn't possibly say that!"

Ikuto rolled his eyes at them. He had been around too many suited events and official meetings to understand that the world revolved around false words, false promises. Fake. It was all fake. Just like everyone's desire to get close to him. It left a bitter taste in his mouth as he silently repeated the word.

Cynical, wry and sardonic he may have been, but hadn't Ikuto personally seen it for himself with his stepfather and his mother?

"Yes, unfortunately my stepson has proven a good point." At these words, the director turned around, sending Ikuto a slight smirk. "We cannot just expel the girl."

"But sir, they cannot be let off so simply."

"No, they can't." His lips curved up ever higher, as if tugged upward by the thought of a sudden ingenious idea.

Ikuto's tense hands slipped into the pockets of the school blazer, his teeth gritted at the thought. What had he gotten himself into for that Amu Hinamori?

+-+-+-+-+-+-+

They entered the room in two lines, as proud and formal as ever; each King was paired with a Queen while a Jack and Ace followed behind them. First led by the senior class, also known as the Spades class, the remaining members of the Guardians excluding the freshman Diamond class marched after. Yet it wasn't the blue and red checkered capes hanging from the shoulders of the top students of Seiyo that caught Ikuto's attention, nor was it how synchronized their movements were as they made their way to their respective areas of the room, but rather it was the tinge of pink bobbing along the crowd that captured his attention as the Director's stepson held the door open somewhat grudgingly.

Her bubble-gum pink hair was almost as impossible to miss as those eyes that were now staring straight at him. The sharp golden eyes that seemed to contain a sea of the brightest gold were enchanting, curious, and beyond anything he had ever seen. There was so much in them, so many things that the girl failed to hide in those shimmering orbs – things that she obviously refused to reveal with her actions. Her expression was tense and her lips tightened together as if she attempted to stare at him blankly, but failing miserably. There was more to her than what she was letting on.

Not that he was remotely interested, or curious or…

Before he allowed his thoughts to get any further, Ikuto tore his gaze away from her, looking to the side as he said in a somewhat annoyed tone. "What are you doing here?"

Her previous look of surprise which appeared the second she had accidentally allowed her eyes to meet his, was now even more exaggerated. "I came to see you." She said casually, though her raised eyebrows suggested that she was not so certain.

A smirk automatically landed on his face. "So you wanted to see me that badly?"

His carefully soft tone and mild breath against her cheeks did the trick. His smirk only grew wider at her crimson face, her uncontrollable stutter and that priceless expression of pure embarrassment. "A-as if you pompous jerk!"

And while it may have been worth it for those few seconds, it most definitely was not one of Ikuto's brightest ideas. The interruption had halted the Guardians' entrance, earned a few snarls from the Queens and Aces directed solely at Amu, and only confirmed the Director's suspicions.

"Ahh, so this is Amu Hinamori." Ikuto froze at the Director's tone, smug and plainly interested. As if he hadn't already met her at the auditorium, why did he seem so surprised with the girl now?

"Joker, if you please."

Ikuto cursed under his breath. This was supposed to be a Guardian meeting. He hadn't expected her here and he had long resolved not to acknowledge the girl at all if he so happened to meet her again, yet the moment she stepped in, he had been too intrigued to notice what he had done. Teasing came naturally as did the smirk and the urge to make the rose haired girl blossom into the same color was irresistible.

"Why are you here?" Ikuto barked somewhat aggressively as he took a slight step back.

"Well 'cause Yoru said –"

"Yoru!" He snarled at the Jack who now hurriedly made his way behind the senior King with a slight cringe.

"Now Tsukiyomi, Hinamori-san is welcome here" the director spoke gently, leading Amu away from the Guardians. She was obviously out of place in that crowd, lacking a cape of her own. The line up of their entrance also made it painfully obvious that she was not one of them. However, she held her head up high, her shoulders were relaxed as if she belonged there and she stood tall. Amu Hinamori had not cowered in the presence of authority and she had not melted at Ikuto's husky tone. Ikuto's stepfather cringed slightly at the thought. It was bad enough to hear about his son's reputation, but for Ikuto to use it in front of him was purely disrespectful.

Not that he hadn't seen it before. Ikuto's words always lulled a pleased giggle or the flirtatious batting of lashes from his female targets.

But not Amu Hinamori. She was beyond that. She was…

Someone Ikuto couldn't seduce.

Kazuomi Hoshina grinned. Now what would be the fun in expelling the one girl who could stand up to Ikuto? Who could probably drive him completely crazy with frustration?

"Today I have gathered you Guardians to determine the fate of this young woman. I'll leave it up to you whether she deserves to stay or not."

Kazuomi caught Ikuto rolling his eyes at him, fully understanding that his stepson was simply showing his distaste for the system. Yes, he was allowing the Guardians to think they had power, already knowing what their decision would be.

Or maybe not.

The votes had been cast and the director was mildly surprised by the results.

"Exactly 50/50." Strange how all the Queen and Ace chairs had voted against her stay and all the Kings and Jacks had voted for it.

He sighed. Well, that attitude of hers was bound to get her in trouble even if she had cleared her problems with the authority.

"Well, since the Guardian classes cannot decide, why not let the school Joker make the tie breaker?"

Ikuto blinked twice, barely managing to maintain the stupefied expression off his face. He had two choices. The director knew exactly what Ikuto thought of his way of doing business – he _knew _that he absolutely abhorred his manipulative nature. Ikuto was given the choice to play against his stepfather's rules, to show him that people, or more particularly Ikuto himself, was not so easily controlled. He could throw that option back in his face and intentionally mess up his plans.

Or he could keep Amu in school like he'd promised.

Ikuto murmured something between a sigh and a growl. It wasn't an option. There was no choice. A promise was a promise. Besides, it would be the first time he would be able to help.

"Let her stay." He knew his stepfather was grinning that crookedly arrogant grin, but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

Amu's expression immediately lit up. She smiled from ear to ear, mouthing a silent thanks to Ikuto before turning to her friends.

Somehow, helping felt kind of good. Maybe he'd try it once in awhile.

"But…" The single syllable from the director's mouth brought on a blanket of tense silence. He turned to the man leaning against the window who had remained silent throughout.

Professor Takashi walked over, with his arms crossed. "There is a condition."

"Amu Hinamori must be watched for 2 weeks. Consider it a trial period. For the next two weeks until the votes for the freshman Guardians are in, she is to be on probation." The director crossed his fingers together, folding his hands carefully over the table as he watched Ikuto without blinking.

"Tsk, why are you looking at me?" Ikuto gulped, trying with much difficulty to keep the annoyance from his tone. He did not like where this was going.

"And Ikuto Tsukiyomi is the one assigned to watch her." Professor Takashi smoothed a hand over his thinning hair, wondering whether this was as fitting a punishment for both such abominable students.

"What?! No! No way!"

"That pervert?! Who knows what he'll do to me!"

A thin grin colored his face. Sounds like it would be.

"No, I've got a life! I'm busy. I don't have time to baby-sit some kid." Ikuto glared at the Director venomously, his muscles tense. He clenched his hands even more tightly, mildly fantasizing how good it would feel to take a whack at the smug face grinning at him.

"I'm not some kid you perverted sicko. You think I'd _want_ to interrupt your- I just – AH! I'd very much rather stay the hell away from you!"

The director's grin widened. This was a good decision after all.

"Why do you mind so much, Joker? With the amount of ardor you were supporting for her to remain here, I'd think that you'd appreciate such a kind offer."

Whispers rose from the once silent Guardians, slowing breaking out into murmurs of "the new target," coupled with either glares or looks of pity (depending who you were) directed at Amu. Yoru screamed out a simple. "I knew it nya!"

Amu on the other hand, was completely red-cheeked, stiff and speechless, until Nagihiko stepped out from his place and gave her a mild tap against the arm.

"E-EXACTLY why it should not be Ikuto Tsukiyomi! A-are you actually p-promoting such offensive actions? Is this school like that? And here I thought this was a place of higher education, learning! But I guess I was –"

Swiftly, Nagihiko covered Amu's mouth before she could say anymore. Urgently, he whispered softly to her so that no one else could hear. "Calm down. We're trying to get you to stay in school Amu, not get kicked out again."

"No, I don't want to be stuck with _this_ girl. Anyone but this one." Luckily for Amu, Ikuto had taken over her cries of opposition, diverting everyone's attention away from her.

Nagihiko still had his hand over her lips, fearful of the words that may escape from them. Only when Amu had calmed slightly, did she notice the warmth of his skin over her face, causing her to light up once again in bright red.

"I'm sorry if it's not my place to say," Kukai stepped out from the line, approaching the front of the table where Amu, Nagihiko and Ikuto stood. "But, isn't there another way?" Nagihiko looked at him with an approving nod and finally releasing Amu from potentially causing even greater problems for herself, gave the director a slight bow.

"Sir, I'd have to agree with the Jack. It's obvious that both of them oppose to the idea of being stuck together."

Ikuto crossed his arms nodding at Nagihiko's words. Amu stared at her two friends standing beside her, almost teary eyed. She could have choked them both to death in a hug, if she had not been standing in the middle of a supposedly important meeting.

"The Clover Guardians…" the director mused. "are acting a bit out of line."

The redheaded Ace chair and the brunet Queen of the sophomore class watched on in horror, only a second away from dragging back their fellow Guardians before the director continued speaking.

"But I'll listen to what you propose to do."

Amu breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Allow me to take Tsukiyomi-san's place." Kukai stepped up and bowed slightly. And just as suddenly, Amu sucked in another sharp breath of air.

"Ehh?!"

"Or me sir," offered the bowing King's chair of the sophomores.

Ikuto tensed up, narrowing his eyes at the scene. He drummed his fingers along his palm as he attempted to calm the feeling of slight agitation. "That would not be nece-"

But before he could finish speaking, the director's voice reverberated sternly across the room. "The King has duties which he must attend to. Do not forget that it is the King with the most responsibility of his class. It would not do to add on another burden."

"It wouldn't be –"

"King!"

"Yessir. I'm sorry for speaking out of place."

Amu watched sullenly as Nagihiko stepped back into his assigned spot, offering a halfhearted smile to her. Now, it was up to Kukai. She turned to look at him and he offered his signature thumbs-up to ease her nerves.

"Jack…"

"Yes sir!" Kukai saluted; almost too formally that Amu had to fight the urge to laugh. Ikuto watched on unamused with his arms still tense at his side.

"The Jack has matters to attend to as well." Ikuto said smoothly, eyeing Kukai suspiciously beneath his hooded eyes. The brunet offered a fake smile.

"True, as does the Joker."

"I could allow the Jack of Clovers to take over…" the director began, barely even acknowledging the exchanges that had taken place between the two.

Ikuto nearly choked before catching himself, not at all liking Amu's reaction who at the moment could barely contain her feet from pushing her up ten inches from the ground. Yoru glared at Kukai while wearing an expression faintly resembling a feline barring its fangs against an enemy. Meanwhile, Kukai offered the disgruntled Ikuto a sly grin.

"But then it wouldn't be much of a punishment would it?" Professor Takashi's thick voice interrupted.

"But you don't have to go overboard!" Amu cried, frantically darting her eyes at the once smiling Jack as if he was in any position to help.

Ikuto lowered his head to hide his smirk, expression positively leaking with self-satisfaction. "No sir, it's not much of a punishment at all." He was almost waiting for the professor to catch on to his meaning. Since staying away from her was impossible, he might as well make use of it, to turn it into his own advantage. It'd be easier for him to keep an eye on her anyway.

Like that old saying, _keep your friends close but your enemies closer_.

He spun around before allowing either the Professor or the director to see his growing smirk and sent a seductive wink to Amu, causing her to shudder. "Don't worry _Amu_," he whispered against her ear as he brushed by her. "I'll think of something good." The smirk transformed into a full grin, revealed only to the horror-struck Amu and her glaring friends. Whatever punishment this was, Ikuto couldn't help but enjoy it. He had always liked challenges.

* * *

Incredibly sorry for the lack of Amuto, yet again! But you shall be properly awarded for your patience...


	5. Unaffected

Sorry for the long wait, but to make up for it, this is an extra long chapter. I will hopefully (probably) be updating more often this month.

Read and review. Let me know if you want anything specific to happen. I'll work it into this story ;]

* * *

**The Art of Seduction  
**by _Lionetspirit_

**Chapter 5**: Unaffected

She must have offended some god.

Or maybe it was bad karma.

No matter how she racked her brain, Amu Hinamori could not think of what she could have possibly done to be deserving of this punishment. She could only think of that word.

_Target._ How the hell did she become his _target_?

"Amu, I'm still waiting on that return favor."

His tone was husky and almost urgent. His azure eyes darkened as his hooded gaze absorbed her flustered state, apparently drinking in the details hungrily. Ikuto Tsukiyomi closed the door behind him carefully and strode confidently towards the faltering girl.

With each of his steady footsteps, Amu scrambled backwards, practically tripping all over herself. It was difficult to slide subtly away from him; difficult to seem unaffected by the glint in his eyes; difficult to ignore his deep breathless tone as his chest heaved up and down while he stared at her.

And difficult to ignore the way he was casually, yet all too skillfully, undoing the buttons of his shirt.

"W-what a-are you d-doing?"

He chortled softly before rolling his eyes, then lowered his gaze to trail the length of her body. "You _know_ what I want, _Amu_."

"N-no."

"No? You don't understand? Should I make it a little clearer for you then?" He leaned forward and Amu scurried back without even watching her step. At this angle, Amu could get a small glimpse of the top of his defined chest, beneath the first few buttons he had expertly undone.

"You're staring. You know you want me."

She choked on her spit, reaching an alarming shade of red not at all because he was anywhere near the truth. He was too arrogant, too certain.

Too aroused, if that look he was sending her was any indication.

And she wanted nothing more than to scream or to run. She wasn't sure which first. For the most part, she had the most compelling urge to dash madly towards the window and perhaps even jump out from the fourth floor of her apartment.

She should have listened to Nagihiko and Kukai – a fact that she now morosely regretted. Their warnings had seemed silly, but now…

Now she seriously considered her chances of jumping four floors from the ground and surviving.

"You. Want. Me." He breathed, forcing the back of her legs to hit the mattress before Amu even realized there was no more space to retreat.

She fell against the bed while he leaned in as he attempted to close the distance between them. His breath was hot against her ears and his arms as well as legs, were planted firmly at her sides, effectively trapping her underneath him.

"Just this little _favor_ and your debt will be repaid." He licked his lips, eyes darkening.

Her eyes widened in surprise before narrowing back at the man before her. Forcefully bringing her legs straight up, Amu rammed her knees between his legs.

"I dare you try that again, asshole." But the injured man heard none of her words.

"_Mother of God_" He keeled over, wincing as his face clearly revealed pain. His hands cupped the damaged area protectively.

"Go to hell Tsukiyomi. The day I fall for a playboy like you is the day hell freezes over."

~*~*~*~*~*~

She woke with a start, jolting up from bed the moment her eyes opened. Alertly, she scanned the room before her eyes fell against the door.

_Just a nightmare_. She sighed with relief. Though on second thought, the dream wasn't exactly a nightmare. Perhaps it could be counted as a good dream even, with the amount of satisfaction she felt the moment her knee made contact (no, not in the sensual way, but rather heavily _collided_) against his most vulnerable parts.

A sly grin made its way on Amu's face and her resolve hardened. She was going to stay away. Unless there was no way around it and if that was the case, she'd make it her job to _fix_ that attitude. Whatever it was, she would _never_ soften up to him.

Who did that Ikuto Tsukiyomi think he was anyway? He had no right to parade around the school so smugly.

Never before had Amu enjoyed any semblance of violence, but just at the thought of all those poor innocent girls, just the thought of his seductive look leaving those other girls defenseless…

A clattered sound echoed from beyond the bedroom door, breaking Amu from her thoughts. Her eyes suddenly widened.

_Tsukiyomi..?_ The sound of footsteps pattering outside jolted her nerves. They were getting closer.

She froze, eyes stealing peeks at the door. She willed her gaze away from it. _I'm being stupid. I haven't seen him for days. Empty threats. They were just empty threats._

And though Amu had not seen the man since the day he had left her with an ambiguous threat, she could not fight the nights of fitful sleep and disturbing dreams. Fear crept through her. Words echoed in her mind.

_Target. Sex God. Target. _

_But it's nothing. It has to be nothing._ Amu pulled the sheets closer around her. No, it couldn't be him, it just couldn't. After all, there was just no way for him to get to her. No way of contacting her. No way of finding her without seeing her another time.

So no. It wasn't possible for the annoyingly smug playboy to be lurking around in her home.

The doorknob rotated and Amu quickly cowered under the sheets, digging herself deeper into the bed as she tightly shut her eyes. Then studiously reciting a mantra to ward off evil sex maniacs, she tried to ignore the compelling sounds around her.

Of the door slowly creaking open, then closing with a click. Of the faint footsteps growing louder by the minute.

And the way the bed dipped down just _had _to be her imagination. And the sudden breathing she heard was just…

"Amu."

"AHH!" Amu screamed at the top of her lungs for a good ten seconds before she finally stopped, looked at the person before her and blinked twice. "Miki?!"

Miki groaned, rubbing her fingers against her temples. "What the hell Amu?"

The rosette quickly looked away, evading Miki's eyes as she brought a hand to scratch her head cluelessly. "I…just…had a bad dream. That's all."

"Would it have something to do with that name you kept saying?"

Amu spun around at Miki's amused tone, eyes wide as her faced turned livid. "Say what?"

"You were calling a name in your sleep you know."

"W-what did I say?"

Miki grinned wickedly. "I believe it went something like…" She cleared her throat, adjusting the tone to just the right level of needy whining. "N-no…n-no…Tsukiy-"

But before she could finish speaking, a pillow was thrown rudely in her direction.

"Shut up! And stop looking at me like that!" A frustrated growl rumbled from Amu's throat as she stared at the raised eyebrows plastered on her friend's face. "You don't even know what happened in my dream!"

"I bet I can guess." Miki wore a sly smirk, before patting Amu roughly. "Anyway, Suu made breakfast. Come eat, or Ran will finish everything."

Amu groaned. "No, but you _really_ don't know what happened! I have so much to tell you guys."

"Well Amu, finally taking an interest in some of those boys? Why the sudden change? All this time you had boys going after you left and right and you never gave them a second look."

"W-what?! I DID NOT have boys going after me." The rosette huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Wearing a warm smile, Miki spoke. "Alright. Whatever you say Amu. But seriously, I've probably sacrificed my own pancakes to Ran by coming here to wake you up for breakfast. So…"

Roughly, Miki suddenly pulled the covers from Amu, dragging the girl who clutched desperately at it, to fall out of the bed. With another fluid sweep, she flopped the sheets back on top of Amu as she lay half dazed on the ground while rubbing a hand against her head.

"So tell us during breakfast!" Without another word, Miki ran out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

"MIKI! That little…"

Yet despite her protests, Amu was grinning as she got ready. While giving the girls a copy of the keys to her apartment may not have been the best idea, she had to admit that any rancorous weekend mornings topped the lonely silence she would wake up to on other days.

And they lived so far away, yet were still here before she even got up, which left Amu feeling slightly guilty. Truly best friends- considerate, wonderfully self sacrificing, best friends.

"RAN! That's Amu's desu!"

"RAN! GIVE ME BACK MY PANCAKE."

"But I ate it, so too bad!"

"I don't care! SPIT IT OUT! If I'm not eating it, you're not either!"

Wonderfully _loud_ friends. God, she loved them.

Honestly, if it hadn't been for these three, would Amu have even come to Japan? Would she still be able to smile as if she didn't have a single care in the world, even with so much debate going on about her stay at Seiyo? They were her anchor through her new life and it was because of them that Amu could smile so freely, laugh so mindlessly.

She would give almost anything to have them live with her. While they were close enough to visit, Amu would have loved to live with them. But she also knew that their parents had wanted to stay with them, so much that they were willing to move halfway across the globe to do so. Amu couldn't possibly ask for any more from them. From any of them.

So distracted by these thoughts, Amu had not even noticed that she was dipping a piece of her pancake through the syrup one too many times.

"Earth to Amu?" Ran waved a hand in front of her. "So who's this _boy_ you kept calling in your sleep?"

Amu's head immediately raised, much to the surprise of the three.

"Oh this must be someone interesting, desu!"

After giving an exasperated groan, Amu explained the events at school leaving no detail behind. The sisters were good listeners for the most part, gasping in horror at just the right moments, cringing at the dilemma their poor Amu had gotten into, and finally resigning with sighs of pity.

"How can the school do that desu?" Suu asked, crossed. "It is wholly improper –"

"- to practically set this all up for him." Ran finished. "That's not right. They can't make someone watch you for two weeks."

"It's absurd, that's what. He sounds like quite a character." Miki commented, scrunching her nose in disgust.

"He sounds really hot."

"Ran!" The other three girls turned to glare at the redhead.

"What? Well, he has to be if he's able to get away with that attitude." She muttered under her breath. "And maybe he's not so bad. All you've heard are rumors anyway."

"True…" Miki hedged. "And he hadn't really done anything over the past two days."

"But that's because he doesn't know where she is, desu."

"Well fine, he could be that bad. So he must be really really _really_ hot." Ran hopped up with glee.

Amu rolled her eyes. "He could be the hottest guy on earth and he'd still have no excuse for that attitude. He's gotta learn to respect women. He's gotta learn to respect people. The world does NOT revolve around you no matter how beautiful or sexy or handsome you are."

She glowered, each word growing more intense. When she was finally done speaking, she caught the triplets staring at her with partially gaping mouths.

"What?" She hissed, tone still clearly annoyed.

Quickly, the three closed their mouths.

"N-nothing." Ran chuckled carefully while tense under Amu's glare. "_Nothing other than the fact that you're interested in him."_ She whispered under her breath too quietly for the rosette to hear beyond her grinding teeth.

Miki smirked and Suu blushed at her words, while Amu remained oblivious.

"Interesting enough to talk about, eh Ran?" Miki nudged Ran with her elbow all too conspicuously.

Ran spun around and sputtered in response. "Y-yeah. W-why wouldn't I bring it up? Amu's shelves are badly supplied. I think we should go grocery shopping today."

Just as expected, Suu almost immediately stood up, roughly pushing the chair behind her. "Yes, Amu-chan. You might be able to cook, but even a good cook can't make anything without the proper supplies!"

Amu cringed slightly within her seat. Whenever Suu spoke with such determination, there was no getting out of it. Not that she minded in the least. Amu had in fact, planned on going some time soon. "I guess that's what we're doing today then. Sorry for making such boring plans on your day off."

"You should know Amu-chan, that no plans are boring with the three of us around." Ran chirped. After getting out of her seat, she quickly walked over to the rosette and looped her arm enthusiastically around Amu's. "So when are we going to meet your new friends?"

Amu groaned. _As late as possible. _

She didn't really want to run the risk of scaring off the few people who were kind to her on the first day. Ran, at least, was a bit eclectic and while Amu truly felt as if she could become good friends with Kukai and Nagihiko, there were certainly still aspects of her true character that she was not completely ready to share.

They were all wonderfully kind and unbelievably important for students. How could Amu be good enough to stand equally with them? They were like established royalty of the school and she was incredibly lucky to have been accepted.

She sighed. Well, she couldn't expect too much so soon. Friendships that were built to last often took just as long to build. Glancing up, Amu gave another smile. _Just like these three._

Breakfast continued with boisterous chatter, open laughs and discussion about their first week of school. Suu was well adjusted to culinary school and had taken on the family duty of cooking every night for practice. Miki loved her classes at the international school of arts and was even complimented by the professors by such an extent that she was determined to reapply for Seiyo the next year. And Ran, well Ran was Ran. She had never been particularly good in school, but she was just as happy as the others, spending her free time rallying people together for various social events.

Before long, Amu was completely freed of the guilt she had been feeling for dragging along the sisters with her to Japan. She glanced over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Suu humming happily as the green haired girl jotted down a list of things to buy.

"Time to explore Japan!" Ran announced as she forced Amu out of her seat to get changed. Miki eyed the rosette with a purposeful glint in her eyes.

"M-Miki?" Amu sputtered.

A sly grin twisted up even more on the girl's face.

"N-no, Miki. I'm not playing your dress up doll again!" Amu's distressed cries echoed through the kitchen as Miki pulled her away, unheard by Suu who was now quite distracted, and ignored by Ran who suddenly found the ceiling to be a very interesting sight.

Ran sighed as soon as the two were gone. "I don't know why she doesn't enjoy it more. Miki makes half of her Cool and Spicy character with her clothes."

"But she doesn't want to be Cool and Spicy desu."

Ran rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. And besides, 'it's not the clothes that make the girl, it's the girl that make the clothes.' " The redhead recited the words dutifully, not failing to mimic Miki's tone the first time she had convinced Amu to try on clothes she specifically designed for her.

"Hmm." Suu raised a finger to her head thoughtfully. "Well I guess it's alright desu. Miki hasn't been able to dress Amu up lately because of the school uniforms."

"Exactly! Let Miki have her fun." Ran grinned. "I can't wait to see our lovely Cool and Spicy Amu again. It's been too long!"

"You know sis, sometimes I really think you live through Amu's popularity. It's not healthy desu. You might love attention, but I'm certain Amu is uncomfortable with it."

"Oh don't be a spoilsport." The redhead crossed her arms, before dashing towards Amu's room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

For the most part, it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Miki had done worse before and this time, the self proclaimed personal stylist of Amu had spared the girl of anything too attention drawing for which the rosette was grateful for.

She rather liked Miki's choice in clothes, just usually not on her. But today it was acceptable, because today, it didn't draw the full attention of anyone who happened to pass by her.

Amu would have walked straight into the glass doors of the supermarket if they had not been automatic. The sisters trailed behind her and spoke in hushed voices, clearly keeping Amu out of the loop.

The corner of her lips fell slightly. Usually, an unpleasant surprise would follow such actions – a setup with an overzealous boy, an embarrassing last minute public singing performance in front of the school, expectations of handling the class's Christmas party food, a piano competition she was suddenly a part of that she had never registered for. All countless _coincidences_ that had happened to occur right after the sisters were heard whispering surreptitiously to each other.

One time, when they were only five, Ran had ushered her out of the house and into their backyard, promising that she would complete her coloring homework for her while the other two sisters nodded violently in agreement. The next day, Amu received a stern chiding from the teacher for the careless scribbles of red shaded through each object. Ran hadn't even bothered to color within the lines!

Amu's golden eyes suddenly widened with realization. That really explained a lot about herself. It probably accounted for her meticulous care to detail and her priorities with getting her work done first; two characteristics of which would follow her for the next thirteen years.

She stormed through one lane of the supermarket, barely even marveling at all the Japanese words surrounding her. Normally, it would have left her in amazement- a light reminder of exactly where she was and exactly how far away from home she was- but at this moment, she was too distracted to care.

While she loved the three like no one else, sometimes she couldn't stand them. Mostly when they were plotting something again. It was ridiculous how they pushed her. They were supportive – overly supportive and always in one way or another, pushed her to excel and master their personal interests.

The blur of colors were barely recognizable as fruits, with the immense speed she was walking by them. Amu stomped forward, fists clenched at her sides.

Yes, maybe it was them that she had to thank for the person she had become today, someone apparently worthy of such a prestigious scholarship.

But those things she had come to excel at, they weren't _her _interests. Amu had simply done what she was told and excelled at these things because her favorite people loved them.

She shook her head. _What the hell is wrong with me? I'm just stressed out. They've been nothing but good friends. _

It was her own fault for being so weak, so indecisive. She had been perfectly good her entire life – the ideal daughter, the perfect sister. Other people may have been impressed or maybe even envious of her but…

But these things weren't want _she_ wanted. She didn't even know what she wanted.

"But I don't want this!"

Amu blinked at the voice, straining her ears to find the speaker. Around a corner, an elderly woman shorter than Amu was on her tip toes, strenuously pushing herself up with her cane. She waved the other arm at the young man who was donned with a bright red vest- an employee at the supermarket.

"I don't want this! I already told you the exact brand that I wanted."

Sighing, the young man relaxed his once outstretched arms, clearly trying to smooth out the frustration revealed on his face. "I'm sorry m'am, but this-" he pointed to the can he was holding, "is what you asked for. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other customers to attend to."

He dropped the can into the shopping cart, before walking off with a grumble.

Amu stared in disbelief at his rudeness, ready to give him a piece of her mind if she was less embarrassed to cause a spectacle. Instead, she headed towards the old woman who now wore a somewhat helpless expression.

And then _he _came.

Towering over the woman, the dark figure reached over the top of her head and pulled another can down from the top shelf. Amu's mouth hung open, not quite sure what to make of the scene while she watched at a distance.

He turned around without another word and slipped his hands into his pockets as the elderly woman grasped at the can with complete awe – her shock matching Amu's. And as the man walked away leisurely, Amu could not ignore the distinct cobalt blue hair.

"Tsu-" She began to mutter under her breath, before her eyes widened at another thought. _I can't let that pervert see me!_

Because she was sure that if she did, the past few days of peace would be the very last ones she would have. 'Punishment,' she shuddered, was waiting for her and after that dream, she was positive she wanted to stay away from that man while she could.

Amu fled. Panic ensued. Every part of her body pulsed in a distinct sweep of anxiety. She ran back the way she came, past the corner of piled cans, past the regularly misted produce, past the cashiers, past the bright blurs of red, blue and green, barely noticing the faces of her friends as she shoved beyond them with a single word muttered repeatedly from her mouth: "_Tsukiyomi._"

One foot followed the other and she focused only on the tip of her shoes as her eyebrows were drawn together with consideration. Was that really him? Could that have been the same man who had been the cause of her nightmares?

But he had been…kind. Yes, it was a small gesture but he had helped someone, something that Ikuto Tsukiyomi was apparently not known to do. So how could she be sure that was the same person? After all, someone else could have had that same shade of hair and Amu _had_ only caught an uncertain glimpse of it.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was thinking of him more often than she wanted to. Maybe it was her overactive imagination again.

This was ridiculous. Why was she running away?

'_Don't worry Amu. I'll think of something good.'_

She paled. His words had been plaguing her since the day he spoke them. Her punishment was awaiting, that much was for sure. Exactly what he had planned, Amu could only imagine. His reputation preceded him, probably for good reason too. She could already imagine all the things he could do to her and cursed herself for the reddening of her cheeks as those thoughts rolled through her mind.

It had been so much easier to ignore him, to answer him curtly and harshly when she had been too blind to see him clearly. She cursed herself yet again, hating herself for her inability to keep her blush in check at the memory of his mesmerizing eyes.

How could she be no better than the other girls?! How could she let someone like _that_ remotely affect her? He was a jerk – a jerk that preyed on innocent girls. A jerk who was arrogant and disrespectful and had no regard to women.

An incredibly attractive jerk who would have definitely been slapped until his cheeks were swollen had he been any _less_ attractive than he was.

_No, no, no! I refuse to be like them_. She took her head in her hands, trying to stop the motion of it twisting left and right in disgust at herself. When she finally halted the shaking, she decided.

She _wasn't _the same. It wasn't his looks – it was his _eyes_.

Amu sputtered incoherently. "That _is_ the same!" With a forceful groan, she clamped her hands tightly into fists before reevaluating the situation.

No, she wasn't affected by him in that way. Her imagination was running wild again and of course that was to prepare her for the worst case scenario. Her red cheeks were obviously not because of the person doing the act, but by the act itself. And finally, it wasn't the least bit strange for her to suddenly run out thinking that he was inside. It was natural to want to avoid him after his threat.

Besides, if she had kicked him in her dreams, it must have been a clear indication of her unconscious desire to hurt the man, a fact far removed from the possibility of being affected by him in the way that most other girls were.

When she finally paused to take a look at her surroundings, she found herself blinking blankly at the trees lined up against the pavement of a small park. It was mildly chilly; cold enough to wear a hat. Amu pulled her jacket closer after tugging her hood snugly against her head.

The chill seemed colder when the wind rustled a few leaves across Amu's path. Or maybe it seemed colder because she wasn't entirely sure where she was at the moment.

Finding a bench nearby, she sat down and leaned back while she closed her eyes and calmed herself. Without seeing the branches of the trees shaking, she felt significantly warmer, yet not warm enough. She rubbed her hands against her arms.

Still cold.

She opened her eyes and scanned the area, thankful that she was the only one here. It was so different from where she used to live. Where she lived, there would be at least one homeless man lying down against a bench in solitude. She was grateful there was no one left to fight the cold by themselves. It would be lonely, too lonely of an existence.

Amu sighed. Bums lived a hard life. She should have never looked down at them.

Because now, karma was making its way back to her. Now she was the one leading a solitary life without her family. She was the one left sitting alone in this park in the cold. Sure she had Ran, Miki and Suu, but it just wasn't the same without Ami and her parents. Amu was getting a bad case of homesickness.

She frowned.

A strangled mew pierced the air followed by a shivering whimper, giving voice to the emotions Amu refused to let out. Her eyes darted around in alert, trying to find the source of the pitying cry before her gaze fell on a small cat shaking at the base of shrub. She caught a glimpse of his nose and paws just barely exposed.

Immediately, her eyes began to water at the sight of the small gray creature. The wind was ruffling through the fur of the already shivering cat. "A-are you alone too? Where's your family?"

She bent down a few feet away from the shrub, holding out a shaking hand.

It sniffed the air cautiously, before taking slow footsteps from beneath the plant. Its body was kept low against the ground, its neck outstretched as it leaned forward before reluctantly taking the next step.

"Come here kitty." She cooed.

"Alto lost his family a few days ago." At the sound of the low voice, Amu lost balance and fell to the ground on her knees, scaring off the young cat. She had been so caught up with it that she had not noticed anyone approaching.

Amu turned around slowly, certain that she would recognize that voice anywhere. The smooth texture and husky murmur, its honeyed velvet tone and seductive low rumble that promised, as Yoru had suggested, a loss of one's virginity just hearing it within 20 feet of the speaker.

And now she was a mere five feet away from him.

"Ts-Ts-Tsukiyomi?!" When her eyes landed on his hooded figure, she jumped with a slight shout as if she was surprised, even if she had suspected the moment she heard his voice.

His eyes grazed her figure, assessing her up and down before widening in equal surprise.

"A…mu...?!" After clearing his voice and straightening out his expression, he took a step forward and began scrutinizing her once again. "What are you doing here? I thought students weren't allowed out of campus."

"Wh-what? What are _you_ doing here then if that's true?" Amu pointed accusingly at him as she stood up to face him. Her cheeks were slightly rosy because of the cold, though they were burning with incredible heat and she was certain that he would mistake it for a blush.

He raised an eyebrow, as if trying to decipher whether Amu was genuinely clueless. His expression suddenly lit up, as a thought dawned on him and his lips curved up into a faint smirk. "Didn't I tell you to call me Ikuto, _Amu_? It's the least you can do after I went through _all_ that trouble of looking for you."

"For m-me?" She stammered, taking a slight step back.

"_Mhmm_." He murmured, making confident strides towards her. His black overcoat suited him nicely, a perfect fit, Amu noted. With the way his hair was whipping through the wind, he seemed almost model like. She couldn't help but suspect that he had been stolen right from the runway as she watched his intent stare and steady footsteps. Steady and leaking of confidence, self awareness.

_No, more like _over_-confidence._

She scampered backwards until her heel hit the base of a tree. Her pink hair fluttered at the sudden jolt as her back met the tree trunk, framing her increasingly flushed cheeks. He leaned forward, pressing his palms against the side of her head as her gilded orbs locked into a silent stare with his gleaming azure eyes.

It was too much like her dream.

Her breathing shallowed, her arms stiffened and though she screamed for her legs to kick him where it hurt (whether he deserved it yet was something Amu hadn't even bothered to consider), her body refused to move. She remained completely frozen, entirely captured by that lowered gaze that spread a warm sensation across her belly.

Amu swallowed – the motion of her lips not missed by his trailing eyes. He was good.

"W-what are you d-doing Tsuki-"

"Ikuto." For a second, he looked almost pained. His forehead creased as his eyebrows were drawn together. "_Please_, just call me Ikuto."

His eyes pleaded to her in such a way that Amu wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and whisper comforting words. They were so lonely, so sad. So unguarded.

But just as soon as she had seen it, they were gone. He smoothed out his expression, as if he had suddenly caught himself slipping and his lips pressed together into a thin, unrevealing line.

"Don't do that. Don't hide it." She whispered, looking away as she gradually settled her pounding heartbeats. Her chest tightened with a sharp tug at his sudden change.

"Excuse me?" His tone had its usual impatient edge to it and he began to stand up straight, pushing himself from the trunk as he carefully avoided touching her. He seemed somewhat annoyed.

"Eek…I…uh…what?" She stared up at him innocently. What had possessed her to say that out loud? Or even to think it?

It was his eyes. His damn eyes again! They were so full of pain and Amu, being the compassionate person that she was, ached with him. There seemed to be so much more to him in that single instant, but he was hiding it just as she hid her real self. She always saw other people's pain and turned it into her own. Not purposely, but it was something even she couldn't help.

Not when he had looked like that.

"You said something." He taunted, eyebrows raised.

"I uh…"

He stared at her rosy cheeks and the corner of his lips rose up in a crooked grin. Seeing that smug expression on his face, Amu narrowed her eyes at him, quickly forgetting the strange sense of empathy she had felt for him. The saffron orbs darkened at his satisfied smirk and her jaw tightened in defiance.

Amu couldn't afford to forget it; this was the man that had gotten her into trouble. And she _couldn't_ forget, no matter how she tried, the seductive promise he had made her as he strolled out of the dean's office that day. Through gritted teeth she spoke, willing away the crimson of her flustered state, or at least attempting to. But it failed miserably and only intensified with her anger. "I said, don't _touch_ me."

She hissed the words, taking a stubborn step towards him while glaring, as if challenging him to meet her enraged eyes.

He winced and for a fragment of a second, her eyes softened in response. Amu was never so stern. She was soft spoken and kind, always resolving to settle situations peacefully. She screamed when angry, yelled when frustrated but never did she speak so caustically. Never so full of malice.

For an instant, she almost felt guilty about it.

His expression smoothed over to neutrality, immediately hiding his previous cringe, before gradually transforming into another one of his infamous smirks. "You're…quite a challenge, aren't you?"

Swiftly, he was whispering by her ears again, so quick that he had only appeared as a blur at the corner of her eyes.

She stifled a gasp at his dexterity but refused to take another step back. Amu wasn't that weak – she refused to let him gain the upper-hand, refused to show him how he affected her. She wasn't the same as the other girls and she was going to prove it.

"A challenge?" She whispered, equally softly against his ears. Maintaining a calm and casual composure despite her racing heart, she spoke again. "Just another challenge to _conquer_?"

She blinked twice, surprised by the bitterness of her own voice.

She could hear his grin through his response. "Not _another_ challenge, my dear _Amu_." (At this she had to fight a shudder.) "More like, the _only_ challenge."

He inhaled loudly, taking in her scent as he traced the tip of his nose against her cheeks. "Won't you blush for me, _Amu_?"

"Eeek!"

She nearly had just at the way her name rolled so seductively off his tongue. And still, she refused to move and continued to stubbornly fight off the blush that threatened to color her face. Her head was getting dizzy with the effort. The scent of his shampoo and the subtle musky scent of him filled her nostrils.

Amu knew she had to get out of there fast if she wanted to win this round. Finally making a decision, she clenched her fists determinedly and forced some feeling back in herself. She leaned closer, skin tingling where his hair tickled her face as her lips slowly approached his ear. Then stopping right before it, she whispered her words delicately, emphasizing the soft sounds of 's' and breathily drawing out the subtle 'th,' not at all certain whether her voice sounded like this because she was trying or if it was coming out naturally before she could stop it.

"That's wrong. I'm not a challenge, _Ikuto_." She teased his name out of her lips. "I'm an _impossible_ feat."

Abruptly, she stepped back and was delighted to see the wide-eyed man frozen in place, probably in utter shock that he had just been told off. Reeling around, she hastened her pace, hoping to leave the scene before she finally let out that shudder she had been holding in.

But before she could get away, his hand locked onto her left wrist and forcefully pulled her back. Cornering her back up against the tree, he pressed her arms at her sides. Their eyes met instantly and Amu audibly gasped.

Their gaze continued in silence and though Ikuto had the advantage as he was now effectively restraining Amu, all he did was stare with his lips slightly parted. His eyes gleamed with such intensity that it made her breathless. Through her gilded eyes, she stared back leaving him heaving his chest slightly higher than normal. He stared at her long and hard, eyebrows drawn together in deep thought as they remained motionless.

It seemed he had finally broken from the reverie though and in the next moment, he closed his gaping mouth together and raised a lopsided grin, one leaking of all the dirty things Amu had nightmares about.

"W-what?" She tore her eyes away from him, feeling her blush finally breaking through her obstinacy.

"_Nothing_ is impossible for me Amu."

She shuddered much to her chagrin and he probably felt it through his restraining hands. She just knew he was grinning that smug grin again. "S-Shut up!"

With a huff, she tugged at her side and tried to free her arms. "And get the hell off of me!"

Ikuto frowned slightly. Loosening his grip, he spoke against her ears. "Say please."

She glared at him, wondering if the perverted jerk was being serious. "_Please_." She growled.

He seemed amused by her tone. "Please what, Amu?"

"Please get the hell off of me!" She snapped back.

His grin grew wider. "And?"

"And what?!"

"Say my _name_, _Amu._ Ask me to let you." He was clearly having fun, a fact that aggravated the rosette even more.

"Please let me go, Tsu-"

"Tsk tsk tsk." He licked his lips, gaze unflinching as he stared at the somewhat defeated girl beneath him. "You _know_ what I want, _Amu_."

She shuddered despite herself, all too familiar with those words and that dream. Hating every second of her own uncontrollable response, she fumed and prepared to attack. "Fuck you, Ikuto."

Not a second too late, Ikuto stepped back before Amu's foot made contact to any part of his body. "Oh wouldn't _you_ like that Amu."

Her cheeks immediately shot up a few degrees. Her mouth was gaping and her hands balled up into fists at her sides. Spluttering incoherently, she cried "Wh-Like I w-would!"

"First name basis. That's definitely an improvement." He said, completely ignoring her incomprehensible words. Ikuto looked absolutely too smug and victorious as he braved a footstep towards the some what dangerous girl.

"S-shut u-up!" She screeched before shoving him away."L-let me tell y-you, Ikuto." She glared intensely, wanting very much to punch him or otherwise physically harm him if her hands hadn't already felt so numb from the contact against his chest. "You. have. NO. effect. on me. AT ALL!"

Without even a glance back, Amu stormed off, cursing under her breath about "an inconsiderate, arrogant little jerk." To think she had almost thought that jerk could have been nice or at least less perverted. Well, Amu Hinamori was no fool. She was _never_ going to make _that_ mistake again.

Ikuto was a jerk, plain and simple.

The line of her lips fell into a grim frown while she instinctively unbuttoned the top of her jacket.

Why was it so hard to breath? And why did she feel so incredibly warm?

_

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_

The style of writing in this chapter is a little different from the other ones. Honestly, this was a bit difficult to write but that might have been because it was hard to get back into it again after the weeks away. =.= Sorry again! Let me know which you prefer.

_And if you really have no idea what that little arrow is referring to, it still doesn't mean that you shouldn't review!_ (Yes, I'm a review hog, I'll even admit it. But it seriously feels _awesome_ to know that so many people enjoy this story.)

Press me!  
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	6. Falling Hard

_I updated as soon as I could! You guys are awesome! Those reviews made me want to get this chapter up as quickly as possible. This chapter is written like the last one, except with more of Ikuto's point of view. I'll probably be switching between writing styles._

_Please read and review. It makes me one very happy camper ;D_

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**The Art of Seduction**

by Lionetspirit

Ikuto blinked twice at the retreating figure.

_I'm an impossible feat._

The words echoed in his befuddled mind. At this moment, Ikuto Tsukiyomi didn't know exactly what to feel. He was torn between feeling triumphant, shocked, angry and amused.

Shocked that this Amu girl had once again done a nearly impossible feat (those words left a funny taste in his mouth) by pushing him away, thus confirming that it hadn't been a fluke which Ikuto slightly suspected. No, this girl had _meant_ it from the very beginning and she hadn't been trying to play hard to get either.

This very fact was the source of his other emotions too – anger, amusement, and maybe he would have felt a little offended too if his ego hadn't already been so inflated. And he felt only a slight trace of anger, which surprised him even more. After all, hadn't this all been about defending his place as the most popular person in school? Shouldn't he have felt angrier that she stood up to him?

He sighed, still watching Amu walk away. And then with a deep breath, decided on the single most gripping sensation coursing through his body.

He definitely felt more triumphant than anything else. More triumphant than he had felt in a very long time. Because, even though Amu had challenged him right back, perhaps even affected him more than he would have liked to let her know, he had ultimately won at the end.

He couldn't forget the shade of red that _he_ had caused her, or that cute stutter, or even that slightly arousing growl of frustration that came from her lips. _All_ of it was because of _him_. Even when he had loosened his grip enough for her to tear her hands away which he expected her to do, she hadn't. She hadn't moved an inch. He managed to get her to practically beg him to get off of her, while she could have easily slipped through at any moment.

…which meant that either she _liked_ what he was doing to her, or that she had been too nervous to realize what was going on.

Ikuto didn't affect her at all? That was total bull.

A large grin made its way to his face, leaking of a sense of victory. Never before had a girl, or anything for that matter, given him such a feeling of achievement, even when they had given him all of them.

The corners of his lips dropped slightly. _Never before…?_

He shook the feeling of suspicion away. Amu was a challenge. That was all there was to it. It completely explained why he was feeling like a victorious commander through a recent battle. Because that was it was – a battle, a silent war between him and Amu.

Besides, triumph was sweet, sweeter than the taste of Amu's name rolling off his tongue.

_Wait…Amu's name? _

He groaned, all feeling of victory gone. Exactly who was affecting who?

Well, it didn't matter because either way, Ikuto was going to win at the end. He would just have to change his tactics slightly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**Chapter 6: Falling Hard**

The wintry winds did little to deter the girl from her task. Her hair flew wildly around her face, whipping at her cheeks as she fumbled through her pockets but she barely seemed to notice. Instead, her forehead creased in concentration as her hands frantically dug through her pockets.

Ikuto watched silently, face void of emotions.

She stomped her feet in the next moment. "Of all the times to be out of batteries!" At her side, a dainty cell phone was being grasped all too tightly within her slender fingers.

Amu quickly stole a glance backwards and abruptly turned around when she was caught sneaking a peek. He grinned despite himself.

"Need a phone?" He spoke as he closed the distance between the still figure and himself.

"W-well…" She groaned. Looking up a second later, she proceeded to slap a hand against her head while she announced an obvious observation. "And I don't _know_ their numbers!"

Then realizing she was talking to herself, Amu spoke up. "No, I don't need _your_ phone. I need mine."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Or a set of directions." A soft hue of pink flushed her cheeks as her eyes darted away from him shyly.

"I'll be glad to give _you_ directions Amu."

She was frozen in place, eyes widening at his words in this all too familiar situation. Taking this opportunity, Ikuto approached from behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.

"Eep!" She hopped up in place, nearly knocking into Ikuto's chin with the top of her head. The contact was electric, sending a tingle through her body.

Ikuto jerked slightly, as if shocked but recovered quickly, slipping his usual guise back on. Instead, he gripped her more tightly, keeping her firmly up even when her knees were giving out.

His deep chuckle surrounded her and she could almost feel the rumbles through her jacket. Her pulse shot up. Her mouth was too dry for words and she was somehow too stiff to move at all. Although she had been chilled to the bone while thinking of how very far away she was from home a few moments ago, it was now somehow sweltering hot. Yet she still couldn't will herself to move and she was all too conscious of her own uneven breaths.

Nothing else seemed to exist. All she heard was her own awkward breathing, deaf to her surroundings, until finally, Ikuto's voice claimed her back to reality.

"For a price, of course." He drawled. If he was surprised that Amu had not shoved him away, his calm and well practiced tone showed no sign of it.

"I'd rather not dig myself into a deeper grave," she hissed, attempting to loosen his arms around her. Her answer was immediate. His words had managed to pull her out of her daze.

"I was just joking." He breathed out a heavy sigh, still not releasing his grip on her. "If you're not going to use my phone, will you at least take my jacket? You're freezing!"

She cocked her head to the side and looked as if she was just seeing Ikuto for the first time.

Ignoring this offensive response, he reached for Amu's bare hands, coiling his arms more tightly around her waist. His hands locked into hers and for just the briefest second, Amu forgot how to breathe.

He leaned in and inhaled the scent of her hair. Unwittingly, her fingers twitched, pressing into the back of his hands. His breathing suddenly shallowed but he continued forward, getting closer and closer to her face. The soft caress of his breath against her cheeks was sensual, caring, almost like a lover's touch.

Her body immediately went stiff, skin shooting up a few degrees just at the careless thought. But it was difficult to keep from thinking these thoughts when his low, honeyed tone called her so smoothly.

And then she felt something hard jabbing at her backside, below the level of his waist. Something that made her eyes grow impossibly wide and cheeks turn the darkest shade of red that had ever existed on her face. "G-Get off of m-me you pervert!"

Ikuto instantly dropped his hands to his side and frowned. "Exactly what kind of person do you take me for?"

"I don't know, a p-pervert? Lecher? M-maybe, the kind of person that you are?!" Stomping her heel, she whirled around and pushed him away. She was completely out of breath from screaming. Her fists were tightly clasped at her sides as she tried to will away the blush.

"You shouldn't judge someone before you get to know them." His lips were set in a grim frown.

"Even if it's entirely true?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, offended and angry. "What the hell did I ever do to you?"

His tone took her by surprise. She hadn't expected him to react so strongly to her comment, especially when it _was_ true. Wasn't it? She had heard so many things about him, things which others would confirm again and again.

"Well then, is it true?" Amu's voice was slightly high at the end, clearly curious though not entirely sure if she wanted to know.

"What does it matter?"

Her eyebrows scrunched together. "It…doesn't." But his question clearly got her thinking more about it than she wanted to and about why she wanted to know when it didn't concern her.

"Well then." Ikuto's tone was curt and cold. "I'll be going."

He turned around, back in the direction that they had come from. His hands slipped into the jacket pocket before taking out a plastic bag.

Amu blinked at the object he pulled out. "What's that?"

He lifted a metal tin can in the air, without stopping as he spoke. His tone was still annoyed and agitated. "Cat food."

As he walked away, Amu scrutinized his figure. Her eyes followed his long legs, and steadily built torso. Although he was thin, he wasn't at all lanky. He wasn't too large either. The jacket framed his broad shoulders and as Amu's eyes followed down the rest of his body, she suddenly noticed where the pockets were positioned. Slightly below his waist…

Where a can of cat food had been kept while he had been hugging her so comfortingly, so gently, so –

Her cheeks returned to its deep crimson. She had been a complete idiot. A suspecting, paranoid, judgmental idiot. After all, what _had_ Ikuto ever done to her? He had only helped her on all the occasions she had seen him and all she had done was suspect him every time. She had judged him before really knowing him, just like what all of her classmates had done to her.

She felt absolutely disgusted with herself.

"W-wait. Ikuto!"

He was already at the foot of the tree, twisting the cover of the can open as the small stray cat, Alto cautiously watched him from nearby. His expression was thoughtful, not quite as cold or as smug as he normally looked. When Ikuto offered a hand out to the cat, when his deep azure eyes were so warm, when he wore such a gentle smile, there was so much more to him than Amu thought possible.

"You're a good guy, Ikuto." Her soft voice broke the silence and apparently Ikuto's concentration too.

He looked up, almost seeming confused as to when Amu appeared. His eyes were no longer warm, but instead narrowed at her into a hardened glare. "You don't mean that. What are you doing here?"

"I-I just wanted to apologize." His fierce eyes made her take a step back.

"Apology not accepted. Now go home."

She winced slightly at his tone. "Do you even know why I'm apologizing?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Don't know. Don't care. Go away."

"Why are you mad?"

"I'm not mad, this is just how I act." He had turned away from her, concentrating a bit too hard on Alto whose fur bristled with the tension in the air. "Don't pretend to know me when we've only met a few days ago."

His sharp statement earned him a few minutes of quiet before Amu once again spoke up.

"You're obviously angry."

"I'm hardly angry." Ikuto hissed, volume growing louder at each moment.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not"

"Yes you –"

"Everyone thinks I've got a perfect life. The son of a director, a rising model." He interrupted. "Rich and handsome and a complete ass. That image won't change no matter what I do. You want to know why I'm angry? Maybe because you're the only one I'm ever nice to but you judge me just like everyone else. Maybe because I don't even know why I'm nice when I'm around you. I've only been kind to you and you act like any touch from me will poison you."

Before Amu could fully comprehend those words, other than the fact that she had been completely wrong and completely at fault for being so harsh on him, Ikuto's severe tone caught her attention once again.

"Shit! Alto!" He seethed, clutching his left hand. Three fine lines ran across his palm, beading up dark, viscous red liquid.

"Are you okay?" She dropped to her knees to face him, hand reaching for his injured one, but he clasped it closer against himself.

"Go away."

"I'm not going away." She said quietly.

He spun around to face her, eyes slightly broader than usual. Amu stared at him with worry, concern etched into her creased forehead as she bit down on her slightly quivering lips.

"It's my fault. I made you scream in front of the cat and he got scared." Her golden eyes looked up pleadingly, shimmering with unshed tears.

It was those big bright eyes that got to him.

"No, it's not." He refused to look at her as he leaned against the tree with his hand against his chest. "So go away."

"I already told you, I'm staying. Now let me see." Her tone was authoritative. Amu immediately grabbed onto his wrist to check the damage, not at all hindered by the fact that he had been keeping it against his warm torso, though the slightest tinge of pink reached her ears when she had stolen his hand. When he tried to pull away, she simply tightened her grip and ignored him.

"Let go." He growled.

She studied his hand quietly and though Ikuto hated being seen so helpless, he couldn't push her away no matter what he did. That much she made clear.

And for some odd reason, Ikuto _liked _it. He liked that he _couldn't _push her away, that she stayed no matter what he said. He liked the warmth of her soft fingers against his wrist and the way she gently wiped away the blood with alcohol wipes that were no where as gentle as she was. Even with the stinging sensation throbbing against his palm, it was worth it to see those beautiful honey colored eyes filled with concern for him.

After a few seconds, he stopped struggling and instead, settled for silently staring at her the entire time. His eyes followed her movements, watching as she slipped her hand into her bag and pulled out a large band aid patch – one unusually large.

Her soft pink tresses fell against her forehead, occasionally poking into her eyes, but she seemed completely unaware of it as she cared for his wound. Her eyebrows were drawn together, her face slightly flushed as she smoothed her finger tips against the edges of the band aid, lightly brushing against his palm.

"_Amu_." He closed his fingers around her hand, despite the danger of reopening the cuts.

She jumped at the contact and he instantly dropped his hand with a slight grimace. Knocking the back of his head against the tree trunk, he spoke icily. "Job's done. Now go away."

"Ikuto I didn't mean it like that– " She looked at the figure helplessly. His eyes were closed and he swept a hand in the air as if to dismiss her.

"You're a model?"

A low growl made its way to his throat. His eyes flew open and tinged with rage. "I should've known you were like everyone else."

"N-no, what I meant to say was…" Amu kneeled closer to him, against the side of his sprawled out legs. He sat up against the trunk, glowering at the rosette.

She continued speaking, cheeks growing rosy at her own words."I honestly didn't know but…it makes sense."

A humorless hollow laugh rumbled from his chest. "And now you're interested in me? You mean to say I've caught the interest of _the_ Cool and Spicy Hinamori Amu?"

"No" she hissed with a hard edge to her voice. "I mean to say that maybe the reason why people think you're an ass is because you _act _like one. I don't care if you're rich, handsome and popular. If you're an ass, then you're an ass!" With that, she gave a light slap against his injured palm. "And _that_ was for making me worried about a jerk!"

With a huff, she stood up and left a bewildered and somewhat impressed Ikuto on the ground cringing with sharp stinging pain.

"I can't believe I came to apologize to a jerk like him. How was I supposed to react to that _thing _pressing against my back especially with a reputation like his? But it was his fault for keeping that stupid can of cat food in his pockets. I mean, what else was I supposed to think with the way he was all up against me? That's the worst place to put pockets!" She was muttering to herself in the distance and with each word, Ikuto's previous frown upturned slightly until it became a full blown grin.

"What were you apologizing for?" His eyes danced with amusement at the sight of the girl suddenly frozen in place.

Getting no response, he pushed further. "And what does this have to do with the position of my pockets on my jacket?"

She spun around, face absolutely livid. "N-nothing at a-all! I'm going home!"

"_Amu_, you're gonna have to do more than that to _arouse_ me."

Her face got redder if possible.

"Perverted kid." A smug smirk found its appropriate place on Ikuto' s face, as if it was created for specifically this moment.

"I'm n-not a kid!" She denied, stomping her feet.

"So you don't deny that you're perverted."

Her cheeks puffed up, lips set in a full pout. Amu was becoming alarmingly red and for a moment, Ikuto wondered if she would suddenly pop. Or if she was getting enough oxygen for that matter. It was especially fun to rile her up.

Ikuto's smirk was suddenly wiped off his face because as soon as he began to enjoy her embarrassment, the rosette angrily huffed three more words: "I'm going home!"

He couldn't fight the disappointment that must have been showing through his eyes and instead, settled for looking away. Pulling his gaze away from Amu's flustered state, he reached for the half open can of cat food at his side and took off the top.

"Good boy, Alto." Giving the eating kitten a light pat, Ikuto straightened himself out, trying to fight the sudden chill he felt. It was like he was missing something.

Like the comforting warmth of someone's hand against his own.

He shook his head fiercely. He had been perfectly fine before, but why did everything seem so cold and uninviting? Wrapping his jacket closer around himself, Ikuto stepped forward, staring at his feet to abate the edginess he felt.

"Ah crap! Where am I?"

His head shot up at the voice, like an invisible force tugging at him to look. He would recognize the sweet melodious voice anywhere. The voice that seemed to sing when she spoke, warm and soothing.

"Amu..?" Ikuto's arms were wrapped around himself, staving off the cold.

"Um…" The rosette looked around her, as if he must have been speaking to someone else around her.

"Yes, you." If Ikuto had been a more open person, he would have chuckled with amusement laced in his laugh. Rather, he looked at her somewhat oddly with an eyebrow raised, trying to fight off the smile that wanted to form.

She had stayed.

She dropped her head, bangs hiding her embarrassed expression. "I…got…"

"Lost? Sometimes, you seem more helpless than Alto. He's all alone in the world you know."

"I'm not helpless! I'm perfectly capable. And I'm just as al- " She stopped midsentence. "Alto's got you. He's not alone."

"Jealous _Amu_?" He grinned, taking large sweeping strides toward the girl.

"That's not what I meant!" She groaned.

"What did you mean then?"

"N-nothing really." She turned away, her eyes leaking of badly hidden pain. Tears were beginning to well up and a sudden ache shot through Ikuto's heart and entire being. It had taken all of his willpower, but he covered up his own inexplicable pain.

"You can talk to me." He placed an unsteady hand on her shoulder before he realized what he was doing. He hadn't meant to do it because he didn't want another scathing rejection of his touch.

Amu seemed surprised at his words, perhaps even skeptical but as soon as she looked at him, her expression softened. He hadn't hidden it very well.

She nodded a little stiffly. Ikuto abruptly pulled back. Silence fell between the two as they walked. Fallen leaves cracked beneath their shoes, their harsh crunching sound amplified by the sudden quiet. The wind howled. Trees swayed, rustling leaves above their heads.

"S-so is that jacket still up for offer?" Amu murmured, voice cracking slightly at the tension that surrounded them.

"Hmm? An ass is still an ass, so no." Ikuto growled, obviously agitated.

"Until you stop becoming one and give me your jacket!"

"Hell no. I'm cold." He scoffed. Then as if to prove his point, he rubbed his hand against his arms. It had always been his motto in life. Everyone for themselves, for the most part, though he occasionally made exceptions with his sister. It would do no good to forget the simple words that gotten him through life.

Ikuto had learned the hard way that people weren't always good. They were greedy creatures who'd betray him the second they had something to gain from it. And it was years of these experiences that sculpted him into the hard, cold and somewhat distant character that he was today.

Besides, he was only being unusually nice to her before due to a change in battle plans.

…Right?

"Please, Ikuto?" She clasped her hands together, staring up at him with dilated round golden orbs, shimmering bright.

It was those stupid eyes again.

"Thank you Ikuto!" She was already wrapped in his jacket, the very last button looped into the opening on the other side by Ikuto's own hands. He cursed inwardly – not at all noticing how Amu slipped into his jacket until her words brought his attention to his disobeying hands.

"You really are a good guy. You're just a big softie underneath it all, aren't you?"

He growled at her teasing accusation. "That's a first."

"That's because no one understood you Ikuto"

"And you do? Who made you the Ikuto expert?" God that sounded stupid even to him. But agitation and maybe a little something else he refused to admit, was getting to him.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi _does not_ fall for anyone.

"I know enough to know you're a good person." She crossed her arms with finality. Her hair lashed wildly about her face, soft, shimmering, and colored with an innocent pink. "I was wrong to judge you based on what other people said. I committed the one wrong I had promised myself never to make because I know what it feels like. And I'm stupid, so stupid for being just like all those other people. I'm sorry for judging you so early Ikuto."

A soft blush graced her cheeks. She rubbed her hands together and looked down, embarrassed by her direct words. But those were words that had to be spoken, if she were to ever redeem herself from the gnawing guilt.

"You haven't done a single thing to me that is worth all the suspicions I've had of you, Ikuto."

"But I will." Ikuto challenged, throat feeling unusually raw. That might have to do with the cold air rushing into his lungs as he breathed in through half parted lips, completely astounded by Amu's ridiculous analysis of him.

Who the hell in their right minds would spew all those things about Ikuto, _Ikuto_, being a good person?

"Just try." She bit down on her bottom lip. "But I know Ikuto, you wouldn't really want to hurt me. And I'd rather give you the benefit of the doubt."

He stared at her brilliant smile and innocent eyes, slightly stirred each time she called him by his first name. It was the most beautifully sound he had ever heard. She seemed so serious and honest, Ikuto didn't think it was even possible for a girl like her to lie. When was the last time he had met anyone so sincere? Someone so caring for others that they'd put themselves at risk?

But he knew that everyone lies, at one point or another. And this façade of Amu's warmth, care and faith in him could just as easily be another lie. And this strange warm sensation tingling from the pit of his stomach, extending to the rest of his body, that made him feel…full, like a complete person, it was just a part of this girl's charms.

An acquired skill for all their stupid popularity contests. And it wasn't something he was going to fall for.

Because Ikuto Tsukiyomi does not fall for _anyone._

Tip-toeing, Amu wrapped her arms around Ikuto, leaning against him for support. "Th-thanks a-again, Ikuto." She breathed the words shakily against his ears, clearly embarrassed by her own actions and began pulling away.

Immediately, his arms locked around her waist, keeping her in place.

His heart was beating hard against his chest. The heat from Amu's blazing cheeks warmed him inside out. Even with the chilling winds, Ikuto was so much warmer jacketless with Amu in his arms, than bundled in his jacket without her. He had never felt more alive than at this moment, never warmer or so complete.

All it had taken was for him to be just a little nicer, a little more serious, and a little more open to her.

And now he had a hard time breathing straight, didn't know how wide his steps should be, didn't know how he should angle his arms, how much he should raise them if he should at all or how tightly he should be hugging. Was he supposed to let go now? He didn't want to.

He had no idea what to do with himself when she stared at him with her mouth gaping open.

The tactics had changed, but at what cost?

Ikuto Tsukiyomi _did_ not fall for anyone, but it seemed that he now had.

* * *

Okay, I felt it becoming a little OC, but I tried to keep it at a minimum and went back to fix certain parts. I know it's a little quick to get them closer together and to get Ikuto to start harboring feelings for Amu, but in the anime, wasn't it just as quick? Also, I wanted to get them to interact more like how they do in the anime, in which Ikuto never really treats Amu as an enemy even though he's supposed to.

By the next chapter they'll be back to themselves and hopefully acting more like they do in the anime/manga. As you'll see, all of Ikuto's nervousness is internal and he'll mask everything over more confident actions. I didn't want it to be too OC, even with a different storyline.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Art of Seduction**

So sorry for the late update! I've been busy :X My updates may come a little slower now, but I will try to make it worth it. I want to improve my writing and may take more time with the new chapters.

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As they stood in the middle of the park, Ikuto's arms were pressing hard against her side, digging into the fabric of the oversized jacket that hung from Amu's shoulders. He clamped her close against his body and she could feel the urgency in the hug – the desperation, the need.

She couldn't push him away. Her body refused to listen and frankly, Amu just didn't have the heart to do it. Somehow she felt that he needed this. She could tell that Ikuto's past was catching up to him somehow, haunting him while he bore it all quietly. She hadn't known him for long, but from the brief glimpse of the memories that he allowed her to see, Amu knew that Ikuto was suffering.

He had everything in the world supposedly, but really he had nothing at all. Betrayal seemed to repeat itself in his life and from what she had gathered, Ikuto had to continuously look over his shoulder.

Why? She wanted to ask, but couldn't. What happened to him?

All she could really do was comfort him the best she could. It hurt to see him like this. It was a reminder of herself as she spent her school days in America alone and misunderstood. She had been lonely and wanted above all else, to have a good friend. But that disguise of her had to be kept up constantly, to protect herself from being rejected if people didn't like who she really was. They seemed to like her mask, and after years of pretending, she just couldn't stop. She couldn't just be who she wanted to be. Somehow, it had even become a part of her. Sometimes, even she couldn't tell that the Cool-and-Spicy was fake.

It scared her. But then she found her three best friends who knew exactly who she was, so even when she forgot, they were there to remind her. Like her three guardian angels.

How bad must it have been for Ikuto if there were more reasons to use him or betray him? For once, Amu was glad she wasn't rich because then how would she have ever known that the friends she made, as few as they were, were there because they genuinely liked her?

Her arms rose up slowly, fingers ready to grasp at Ikuto sweater almost as tightly as he was digging his hands into her arms. She wanted to coil her arms around him, to hold him together and allow all that urgency to fade away.

But he suddenly pulled back and Amu couldn't help but stare up at him stupidly with heated cheeks.

"W-why..did you…" _let go?_ She wanted to say.

Amu shook her head wildly, closing her previously broadened eyes. Then, regaining control, she opened her eyes in an attempted look of neutrality and nonchalance. "Why'd you do that?"

He blinked at her. "Were you about to hug ba– "

"I asked, why did you do that?!" Amu's cheeks turned into a dark pink.

Ikuto's once dazed eyes narrowed, scanning her face before he quickly dived in against Amu's ear, chin practically touching her exposed neck.

"Because" he whispered breathily. She waited, already feeling the effects of his voice on her useless disobeying body that wanted nothing to do with Amu's internal screams of opposition.

He bit her, a little nip against her ear.

"AHH!" A shocking chill zipped through her body, electrifying every nerve.

"W-wh-" Stuttering beyond all words of comprehension, Amu pointed an accusing finger at the perpetrator.

"Because you're too fun to tease _Amu_." He simply leaned back upright, casually slipped his hands into his pockets, and strolled off in a leisurely pace.

"You're a friggin jerk, asshole!" Amu fumed, hand clamped over her ear. "I can't believe that I thought you were sweet for even a second! I'm never believing you again!"

Ikuto turned around just as Amu finished her words. His eyes were gleaming with interest and his arrogant smirk donned his face. "_Sweet_?"

"I-It doesn't matter. I t-take it back anyway!" Her hands grabbed a fistful of cloth against her side, crumpling the overcoat. Then, with as much force as she could muster, Amu stomped loudly past the smug man, who now stared at her with a wide grin.

A wide, annoying, arrogant, jerk-like grin.

"I am NEVER asking you for anything again!" She screamed, not even bothering to turn back for a response. "I hope you'll STAY THE HELL AWAY from me!"

"Aww, you don't mean that." Ikuto was quick to catch up and now matched her strides.

"Yes I do! Get the hell away from me."

"Alright, but how are you going to get home?"

She froze. He smirked. She wanted to slap him, but clenched her jaw and continued walking.

"Come on Amu. I'll take you back." Surprisingly, Ikuto's voice was lacking its usual condescending tone.

"…Fine. But that's it!" She pouted and crossed her arms despite her increasingly rosy complexion.

Ikuto stared. She was so deliciously red and innocently sweet. Like a succulent strawberry waiting to be plucked. He could do so many _things_ to those full pouty lips of hers…

"What is it?!" She groaned, exasperated as she caught Ikuto's lowered gaze.

"I was thinking…" His tone was calm, almost detached. "…that it'd be a bad idea to leave a kid like you here. Knowing you, you'd get even more lost if possible. I'd rather save myself the trouble of having to find you again later."

She sent him a strange look.

"After all kid, I _am_ responsible for you over the next two weeks."

"Oh hell, I'm screwed."

"Screwed, maybe but I promise it won't be _anything_ like hell."

Amu gagged, or choked on her spit, or whatever it was that made such an incoherent series of noises. Ikuto smirked, enjoying Amu's blush more and more. He would never get tired of that.

"Relax, I'm not the least bit interested in perverted kids."

His remark was met with a glare.

"For the last time, I'm not a kid!"

"Hm. Should I settle for just perverted then?" Ikuto grinned. This was how it was supposed to be like. He was always the one in control, and it'd be no different with Amu. "Just think about it _Amu_. We could have so much perverted fun."

Amu was as stiff and frozen as an ice sculpture. The only difference was that she was radiating with heat.

He relished the sight and smacked his lips together, effectively bringing her already livid face to a whole new level of red.

"Fuck off, Ikuto. I changed my mind. I'd rather risk my chances with a stranger than with someone who I already know is a pervert. So go away. I'll find my way home."

Ikuto opened his mouth to speak but was rudely interrupted.

"Don't say it. I'll personally castrate you if I have to."

"Already so eager to keep it for yourself?"

Amu just turned into a tomato – such a rich ripened tomato red color that put the best stocks of real tomatoes to shame. Her mouth bobbed open and closed like a goldfish, completely mute. It took her a few tries before her voice finally returned.

"I hate you, Ikuto. I hate you. I hate you. I hope you'll get stuck with an ass like you just so you know all the suffering I'm going through!"

The corner of his lips twitched slightly, but he forced it back up and confidently strode after the raging girl despite the knot that had suddenly formed in the pit of his stomach.

"You haven't _suffered_ yet, Amu. You're punishment has barely even started." With a smirk, he slipped an arm possessively around her shoulders, keeping it strictly in place as they walked out of the park together. Amu was struggling fiercely beneath his grip, but even so, Ikuto lips curled up into a smile.

'Together' sounded kind of good. Even if he had to take Amu against her will.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Miki was not one to gush over guys – that was Ran's role. But heck, she most definitely had to agree with Ran on this one. It shouldn't have been all that surprising though, with the way Amu becoming excessively animated when she spluttered against the idea of admitting that this Tsukiyomi person was handsome. Mostly, Amu didn't really notice boys until they were right up in her face in a desperate attempt for some attention.

Which happened more often than one would expect.

Cross that. Miki knew exactly the kind of beauty that Amu was, even if the rosette didn't realize it herself. If she only changed her attitude a bit, she could have anyone in the palm of her hands.

But generally, Amu had always been pretty calm about these things. She'd rarely spare more than a single glance to an obviously interested suitor. Then again, it might have just been her oblivious nature.

Amu's ability to stay calm probably had nothing to do with it. Miki was certain that had Amu been placed in a compromising position with a cute boy, she'd no doubt be reduced to stutters – still comprehensible, enough to carry on a normal conversation – though she'd probably leave the impression of being mortifyingly impaired by some speech impediment.

But, as Miki duly noted, Amu had never gotten so heated in talking about someone. That sudden fire in her eyes, even if it was agitation, was something completely new. And having spent all these years growing up with the shy, often quiet Amu, the sudden outburst was definitely a big deal.

Now she could see why it happened.

Literally, Miki could _see_ the embodiment of raw sexiness that had left Amu so flustered. The blue headed artist was having one hell of a time fighting down her own blush.

She had seen him walk by, slipping across the opening of the isle when she had carelessly turned to face the front entrance. She had been looking for Amu and had decided to stay in the supermarket since the rosette would most likely return.

Positively puzzled at why her friend had suddenly stormed off as she whispered 'Tsukiyomi,' Miki had initially shrugged it off.

But then she saw him. His ruffled dark blue hair, playfully wicked smirk that sometimes included a little teeth, his sparkling eyes. She was certain that he must have been Tsukiyomi. Amu must have seen him and miffed by his appearance (his oh-so-sexy appearance, Miki had to add), she stormed out with his name upon her lips.

He wasn't anywhere was mean as Amu had described, though that girl had a way of grossly exaggerating situations. In fact, the second Miki had caused the once neatly stacked formation of cans to come crashing down (which happened when she unfortunately whipped around too fast to go after that dark figure), the very same figure peeked his head beyond the corner he had just passed by – turning back around to help her pick them up.

Currently, he was kneeling against the ground, gracefully rearranging Miki's accident atop the stacked boxes. Next to her. Only a few inches from her. If she moved her hand just a little bit, she could probably 'accidentally' brush the back of his hand.

Or something stupid like that. Miki quickly erased the idea. When did she ever act like a love struck fool?

How Miki wished she was Amu. Didn't that girl know how lucky she was?! _She_ certainly wouldn't mind getting so much attention from this walking piece of –

"So your name is Miki?" His voice jolted her back to her senses, causing a deep blush to rise from her cheeks. He was looking down, eyes wide, expression thoughtful. She could feel his gaze scorch her lips as it ran across them, or maybe that was all in her imagination.

Wait, what was she doing again? When did she answer him?

She quickly raised her gaping jaw back up, hoping she hadn't looked like a complete idiot. "Y-yes."

Shit, when had Miki ever stuttered? She was definitely picking up bad habits from Amu. Trying to distract the smirking man from catching her slip, she kept talking. "You must be that guardian from Seiyo."

He just had to be. He was too hot _not_ to be, assuming of course, that Ikuto Tsukiyomi's reputation was true.

In which case, Miki probably _shouldn't_ be remotely interested in him.

"Huh?" He looked honestly confused, with the way he scrunched his eyebrows together. His lips were set in a slight pout, one that she wanted to jump on and devour and…

"Well, I _am_ a Guardian at Seiyo. So I guess that's a yes nya."

And the way he said his 'nya's were adorable. She just melted at the sound.

"Are you okay?" He waved a hand in front of her. Miki quickly sat up. Her hands hadn't even pretended to be working at the moment, and some cans were now rolling away in the distance.

"Like what you see nya?" He was grinning, having caught Miki staring and then proceeded to smack his lips together.

Miki's eyes widened, cheeks flaming and jolted upright, instantly on her toes. She spun around, suddenly very interested in the neat pile that was being rebuilt. "Y-you're _exactly_ like what Amu said."

"Amu?" His voice was incredulous, almost displaying as much surprise as his expression. "You know Amu?"

"Ugh. I'm her friend." Why did he sound so interested in Amu? She groaned again.

Miki had long suspected, even through the stories that Amu was telling her, that this Tsukiyomi character must have been into her. And she had been even glad, though genuinely freaked out, that someone (who unfortunately turned out to be a playboy) finally had the audacity to go up to Amu with such persistence so that no matter how oblivious the girl was, she wouldn't be able to miss his intentions, but now Miki felt strangely uncomfortable and disappointed about it.

"Well, it doesn't matter." He rolled a can between his two hands, oddly amused. "You're _way_ more interesting that Amu nya."

He looked up at her, saffron eyes gleaming wit mischief and sent her a wink that made it suddenly more difficult to breathe.

_He just said I'm more interesting!_

Maybe because she stopped breathing without realizing it.

"B-but…" The single syllable came out embarrassingly loud as Miki unwittingly released a huge breath with it. "…aren't you after Amu?" And then a deep sinking feeling took over her, as the usually level headed artist realized that he had been calling Amu so familiarly all along.

If that wasn't enough, then the guilt of wanting him to like _her_ more than Amu, was enough to bring her down.

"Pft." He rolled his eyes at her. "You're kidding me right?! She…" He trembled slightly. "She dared to accuse me of being in love with my best friend!"

His hair tousled more messily at his vigorous movements. The agitation in his voice was kept at bay, though the glare in his furious eyes was revealing enough.

"A-are y-you?" She heard herself saying it out loud. Stupid, stupid, _stupid._

A cute blush graced his cheeks and he tightened his lips together, almost as if challenging Miki to say it again.

"Hell no! My best friend is a _guy_."

She let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"_Good? _How is that _good?_ She accused me of being gay!"

"N-no I didn't m-mean, 'good you're not gay.' Well, that _is_ g-good, but you're obviously not gay."

He was kneeling against the ground, knees in the front and legs folded behind him underneath. Cocking a head to the side, he lowered his gaze and dipped slightly to catch Miki's attention. Miki was now conveniently staring at the apparently intriguing tiles of the floor.

"I-I mean, good you're friend is a guy b-because since you're obviously not gay, you d-don't like anyone."

Pause.

"U-unless you do. Like someone, n-not being gay. D-do you?"

More silence. And a bit of confused staring coming from the feline figure.

"I-I s-should probably stop t-talking now." Miki muttered something else he couldn't exactly hear, before hurriedly making her expedient escape.

The thoroughly confused, but somewhat interested messy haired young man pawed at another rolling can once more, before his bright yellow eyes suddenly widened.

"How the hell does everyone leave _their_ mess for me to clean up?! And when's Ikuto coming back nya?" He whined slightly at the end, before noting that perhaps Amu had raised a good point and that maybe he should distance himself a bit from Ikuto.

Then picking up a few more cans, another thought dawned upon him. "And why am I _still_ doing this?" Just as he was about to abandon the clutter, his eyes fell back against the mess.

He breathed out. "Amu's friend, nya?"

Then without further complaint, he quite merrily stacked the aluminum cylinders, wearing a large grin.

* * *

"That was him! The one who my granddaughter has every magazine of."

"Can't be."

"You're going blind old woman."

Miki shoved her way past the crowd of bodies that had suddenly coagulated in front of the entrance to Daiei supermarket, ignoring the voices around her. Normally, she may have been a little curious as to why there were shrill voices piercing through the air and why there were murmurs of impatience emerging from a normally smaller group of shoppers, but her livid face and recent embarrassment which she was still replaying in her head prevented her from finding anything strange about the sea of excited female teenagers.

"But what if she did?" screamed a voice ending a pitch higher than before.

"Why would a big shot like - "

"TSUKIYOMI! It's IKUTO TSUKIYOMI!"

Miki's pulse shot up and she froze in place._ Him_ again? Was he behind her? Did he go after her?

And why did she care if he did?

"TSUKIYOMI!" Another scream, now followed by the sudden eruption of scattered shrieks.

As if broken from the spell, the blue-haired artist clenched her fists and finally looked up. But it wasn't at all what she expected to see.

They were pointing and screaming at some man who held a rosette beneath his arms. He did however, have the same shade of cobalt hair as Ikuto Tsukiyomi, which is probably why this man was mistaken for him. She couldn't see him too well, but she was certain from the way he walked.

Miki let out a relieved sigh. A look-alike.

Before she could even fully release that breath of air, she sucked it back in. Tsukiyomi was famous? Well then, all her chances with him were shot to hell. Wait, _chances_ with him?

"Oh God. I'm turning into Ran." With a groan, she slapped her palm against her forehead. Miki, clearheaded wise Miki, was going completely gaga over a guy she just met?!

Without a second glance, Miki squeezed her way through, barely able to avoid the blows of jabbing elbows, stomping feet, and grabbing hands. Just a little longer there, and she would have ended up kicking half the girls back to Kingdom Come.

"I-Ikuto! Get the hell off of me!"

That sounded mildly like…

"Amu?!" Her eyes had widened at the sound of her friend's voice and the previously agitated young woman now bore a look of utter surprise. Miki scanned the area the best she could, fighting off a scoff at the image of all the hands reaching in a general direction.

She turned red. Bright scarlet red. Redder than should have been humanly possible.

At the center, was the look-alike with his lean arms hugging a pink haired, flaming cheeked girl. And well, his hands were somewhere they probably shouldn't have been.

"_AMU_?!"

Amu's golden eyes widened immediately as her head spun around to meet the speaker. She was completely still, as if caught in the middle of something that was not meant for public eyes.

"M-Miki?!" She uttered.

The dark haired man tightened his grip around the rosette, though Miki couldn't be sure since his hands were not exactly visible.

"I-Ik- AH! Get OFF!" Amu spluttered, turning another shade of red. She wriggled around to no avail as the lean figure pulled her closer against his chest, closing whatever gap that may have existed between them a second before.

Agitated grumbles rose from the surrounding people. The hands were getting more eager as some were able to steal hungry sweeps against the man's firm back, his muscled arms, and his defined face. His response was to hold the unwilling girl beneath him even more tightly.

"I'm just protecting you from the crowd. They can get a little possessive of me you know." He cooed the words into her ears, speaking just loud enough for a very confused Miki to hear.

"So _let_ go of me and maybe they'll leave me alone!"

"Get off of Tsukiyomi!"

"He's on _me_ you retar-" Amu suddenly stopped her struggling, eyes growing wide as her face shot up a few degrees higher.

"Now, now girls." Ikuto interjected with a wicked grin, immediately hushing the voices. He stepped forward slightly, still trapping Amu between his arms and legs. "Why would you ask my girlfriend of such a thing?"

"WHAT?!" came simultaneously from Amu, Miki and the others.

"Yes, I was going to wait to make a public announcement but I just couldn't wait any longer. This is Amu Hinamori." He was positively beaming and taking advantage of the stupefied expression on the rosette's confused face, he managed to slip his hands from beneath her shirt, brought them to her shoulders and turned her around to face him.

Amu gulped, trying to fight off the scorching sensation still lingering on her skin where he had touched her.

"My new girlfriend."

Before she could even protest, his lips were against hers.

* * *

Yes, a crappy chapter but it'll get better. I already had more than half of this written and I couldn't get back into it. Sorry if you were unsatisfied but better I update now than make you wait longer right?


	8. Author's note

Author's Note:

Hey, sorry for not updating for so long. I meant to get to it but after I reformatted my laptop, I lost all the documents I had already started. Before that I had rewritten chapter 8 about 5 times. So now I'm exactly where I started off with. I've got absolutely nothing. Nothing!

Computers are lame. And the docs I uploaded onto the site were all deleted.

I'll upload the chapter as soon as I finish writing it. I've just been so discouraged by everything. It's hard to get back into writing after all that. Bear with me. Sorry for the long wait! I WILL finish this story.


	9. Honorary Students

I was soo tempted to rewrite this chapter. So tempted. But I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer.

* * *

**The Art of Seduction** by lionetspirit

On the last weekend before the official start of classes, two Seiyo Guardians spent the morning playing soccer against two members of Kwansei's soccer team. From the moment they were elected as Guardians, Kukai had exploited the exclusive privilege of leaving campus every weekend. Granted, he had gone through the trouble of getting a job just to have the excuse of being out in the public to "gain real world experience related to a future profession," but he could still occasionally sneak in some time for soccer practice.

"No offense Nagihiko, but I think I _really_ need to find a new soccer partner. You just plain suck." Kukai stuffed a soccer ball into his tattered black duffle bag.

Nagihiko chuckled. "Just as I've told you each time you'd forcefully drag me out to play. Soccer just isn't my forte."

"Well, sorry for trying to get my best bud to help me practice."

"In that I think I've done my job." The purple-haired bishounen skipped a step. Grinning, he spoke, "It's because of me that you got extra practice playing against those two from Kwansei."

"That's cuz you made me do all the work!"

Nagihiko grinned. "That's the point."

Sighing, Kukai continued his sluggish pace as he watched Nagihiko's light steps from behind. "As soon as Seiyo changes its stupid policy, I'll get a better soccer partner. Until then, I'll settle for an inept Guardian."

The pair continued their way through the streets in their school uniforms which they had worn during their match, unaware of the silent pointing and soft murmurs from the other pedestrians. A few minutes of silence passed between them before Nagihiko paused mid-step and spoke in sudden realization. "What about Tsukiyomi? I heard he's quite good and since he's a Guardian, it'll be no problem for him to leave the campus."

Kukai immediately snorted. "Not in a million years."

"But he may – "

"I _said_, not in a million years!" Grumbling, Kukai stuffed his hands into his pockets and stomped forward, with the high from his game quickly drained away.

"I don't recall you hating him this much, Kukai. Is it because of Amu?" Nagihiko called after him.

He froze instantly in place and Nagihiko could see from Kukai's back that his entire body had suddenly become rigid.

"Are you angry?" For the first time that day, Nagihiko made an active effort to move, jogging to where Kukai stood. He had never seen Kukai so tense in all the time they had become best friends. He had simply expected him to turn an embarrassing shade of red and sputter his denials, or even expected to be punched half seriously and half jokingly in the arm. "I was teasing. It was a joke, a joke!"

But Kukai did not speak. He raised one hand and pointed at the crowd in front of him.

The crowd had made room for the two prestigious Seiyo students and beyond the clearing, Nagihiko could see why Kukai's hands had been clasped into tight fists against his side. In the middle of the crowd, amidst all the squeals and the cries of opposition, and surrounded by tearful or angry teenage girls, stood Amu, _their_ Amu, lip-locked with none other than the arrogant Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

"She…she said she wasn't interested." Kukai stared blankly. His usual grin was wiped off from his face.

Nagihiko watched his unblinking friend and then focused back on Amu. "She isn't."

Kukai finally turned away with his eyes closed shut.

Yet, though their lips were touching, just barely, Nagihiko sensed something odd about the scene. Was it in the way that Ikuto rested his hands on her shoulders? Or how Amu was trembling slightly, but visibly?

"It's all wrong." Nagihiko growled. He could feel his own anger boiling inside of him. "It's all wrong!"

"…But if that's what Amu wants..."

"No Kukai. She's…Amu's _crying!_"

Both he and Kukai simultaneously threw themselves forward, nails digging into their palms to the point of drawing blood with red tinged eyes glaring at Ikuto.

Before a loud _SMACK! _echoed in the air.

Amu, with wet cheeks, held her throbbing hand against her chest and glared intensely at Ikuto whose head was forced to one side from the force of the slap. His jaw hung open. His eyes stared emptily into the distance and his left cheek was painted with a pink imprint, dotted with red spots of Amu's hand.

Nagihiko and Kukai almost tripped before their wild rampage could even begin, looking extremely astounded at what they had just witnessed. The crowd of women around them stared with blank shock before settling into attacking stances and threatening snarls while Yoru, who had just made his way back from the supermarket, stood behind the popsicle he had just dropped, his eyes open almost as wide as his mouth.

"You jerk! I hate you! I never want to see you again!" Amu, barely managing to keep her voice from shaking, sent one last glare to Ikuto before storming away. Ran and Suu were immediately by her side, threatening the angry crowd with fierce stares as they passed through.

"Don't underestimate our Amu." Miki said with a snarl as she approached Yoru. She slid a finger from his throat to his chin before pushing his mouth back shut. "Tell Tsukiyomi to stay away if he doesn't want to get hurt."

Acting as personal guards, the three sisters surrounded Amu protectively, shoving their way through the resisting witnesses. Clearly displeased, the women in the crowd clustered around the four girls, screaming at the boldness of a plain girl striking a hand at their beloved model.

Besides, this was _the_ Ikuto Tsukiyomi who had been on the cover of every major fashion magazine in Japan over the last year. He was a raw talent scouted just two years ago, who had immediately risen to the top at a completely unprecedented magnitude for one so young.

And _he_ was being _slapped_ by a commoner? He, whose face was just as important as his body in his line of work, whose career could be destroyed because a sassy, completely unknown girl couldn't appreciate the sacredness of the golden model's embraces?

The angry mob was sure to make Amu know her place and just as soon as it had taken for Ikuto's presence to gather them together, their attention was entirely aimed at Amu.

Yoru, unfortunately, knew the ways of the Ikuto's fans more than anyone else having stood beside him through his entire career.

"Ik-Ikuto?" muttered Yoru dazedly. He continued staring into the crowd, eyes following the blue figure that trailed behind Amu until they disappeared from view. "Shouldn't we try to stop them before they hurt Mi- someone?"

Getting no response, Yoru rested a hand on Ikuto's shoulder. Feeling a slight shudder beneath his hands, he turned to face his friend. "Ikuto?"

Yoru's saffron eyes widened. "Are you al-"

"I'm fine Yoru." Ikuto said, but his hooded eyes glazed with a hardened look and his lips were set in a grim line.

"Well, it's no big deal." Yoru said uneasily, trying to sound cheerful. "I knew something was off about that girl from the beginning. She isn't even a worthy target, although that friend of hers seems somewhat interesting – well no nevermind. She'd be a horrible target for you too."

Then rubbing a hand against his unruly hair, Yoru continued to fill the uncomfortable silence. "It was all a game anyway. And it's not really like you lost seeing how flustered she was when you were touching her. It's not like she really _could_ say no to you if you meant it."

Ikuto remained standing in place. "She _slapped_ me."

Yoru couldn't tell whether he was shaking from rage or something else. The Ikuto who was once so easy to read (really, he only acted in either one of two ways: seriously stoic or sinfully seductive ) , was now caught with conflicting expressions. Yoru wondered whether Ikuto himself realized what he was feeling – that perhaps he hadn't failed as his best friend in being unable to read his emotion, but that Ikuto didn't even know what to feel.

Not knowing what Ikuto was feeling, Yoru didn't know what to answer.

"Yes she did." He finally offered noncommittally. "Maybe it's a girl thing."

"No girl's ever done that to me before."

"Maybe it's an Amu thing?"

Silence. Yoru tried again.

"There's a first for everything? Anyway, who cares? It's not like that slap meant that she doesn't want you. Girls are complicated. They say one thing and mean something else. It's not like she's so disturbed by you that she ran away at the sight of you…"

At this, Ikuto groaned loudly, though Yoru couldn't understand why.

"… and you already have the upper hand. You don't have to prove anything. You've already got the media saying you're irresistible."

"I'm not trying to prove anything!" Ikuto suddenly snapped, eyes flaring with defiance.

"And if this is about winning, you can just play again with someone else. This is the longest time you've spent on any one person."

"It's not about winning either…"

"Then _what _is this about?" Yoru probed, almost not even surprised at his friend's sudden unrecognizable expression.

Sighing, Ikuto finally spoke. "You talk too much." He turned around and walked off in the opposite direction.

Yoru frowned at the image of his best friend's back. Although the famous idol smiled at the fawning fans and leisurely walked towards the limousine parked in front of the supermarket, the feline was certain that the image of his best friend's back was just as forlorn as the day he had first found him alone in the park so many years ago.

* * *

Chapter 8: Honorary Students

"_Yes, I was going to wait to make a public announcement but I just couldn't wait any longer. This is Amu Hinamori." He was positively beaming and taking advantage of the stupefied expression on the rosette's confused face, he managed to slip his hands from beneath her shirt, brought them to her shoulders and turned her around to face him._

_Amu gulped, trying to fight off the scorching sensation still lingering on her skin where he had touched her._

"_My new girlfriend."_

_Before she could even protest, his lips were against hers._

Amu groaned. She could feel Ikuto's soft lips teasing her own with light feathery taps as if he was challenging her to continue the contact. He lightly brushed against her burning lips never lingering in one place, never committing to a full kiss.

It was electric and she felt alive. Her heart pounded. Her body trembled with the unfamiliar experience. Her skin tingled with each touch and her ears noted each soft breath.

Yet the more alive she felt, the sicker she became with herself. _How could I let him affect me this way?_ She wondered miserably, unable to pull away. _How could I let him of all people take my first kiss?_

How she wished she had given it away sooner. Even if it wasn't going to be the perfect first time she had in mind, at least it would be from someone who actually cared, not from someone who was just playing games with her.

Her hands inched up towards the collar of Ikuto's shirt, drawn in by the faint scent of cologne and sweat before she finally forced some feeling into her numb, yet over reactive body. Then, before they could settle against his chest, she delivered a swift slap to his face.

The slap rang out in the air, echoing ominously into the distance.

Ikuto was motionless.

His shoulders slumped. His normal model-like demeanor completely reduced in defeat. His usual brilliant azure eyes lost their depth and shimmer.

Amu stuttered backwards.

She needed to go before she gave in to the urge to pull him against her shoulder and apologize- before she'd grab his head and whisper comforting words to soothe the pain that she had caused.

She clenched her hands and bit down, failing to stop her throbbing palm. _He's wrong. He's wrong! He deserved it._

And before she realized what was happening, she had spewed some words and ran off, tears flowing endlessly from her eyes.

She refused to turn around and look at Ikuto. But still she could not forget the image of Ikuto standing in the middle of a crowd with his head down, with his eyes in a dull glimmer staring blankly at nothing, as confused and lost as an abandoned child.

_I won't give in. I won't!_ She declared fiercely to herself as the echoes of the slap continued to ring through her mind.

As it continued to ring, to ring…

_RING! RING! RING!_

Amu's checkered red and black phone screamed its piercing sirens before she finally slammed her hand against it. Through her blurred vision, she made out the bright red numbers of her cat-shaped alarm clock which read 10:47.

It was Monday 10:47 to be exact and for some reason, Amu couldn't shake off the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. Then, looking at her calendar, she saw the thick red ink from a permanent marker circled multiple times around that very day.

Another shrill ring pierced the air and Amu cringed briefly before snatching the phone. She really had to change all the settings on her newly bought cell phone from Japan.

"Amu Hinamori?" The voice was hesitant and deeper than she had expected.

The rosette blinked a few times before responding, voice coarse. "Nagihiko?"

"Oh, so it is you!" He said amicably.

"Wh-Why are you calling?" She asked, wonderment clearly in her voice.

He laughed mildly. "Relax. It's official Guardians business. All freshmen receive calls from the Sophomore Guardians to congratulate them on their acceptance to Seiyo. It's usually done by either the Queen, Jack or Ace Chair."

"But aren't you the King's chair?"

"Yes, but there are a few students who are personally greeted by the King."

Amu grinned, easily relaxing with the sound of Nagihiko's comforting voice. "I suppose I should feel honored that the great king has greeted me."

"But of course." Amu could hear Nagihiko's grin through his voice. "I must say though, you _are_ much more pleasant to talk to than some of the other Honorary students."

Amu's golden orbs widened. "You've spoken to the others already? What are they like?"

"Amu-chan." Nagihiko kindly regarded. "The only reason I had called you last was so that I could have more time on this phone call with you."

"I-I didn't say-" Amu quickly denied, though she had felt a little hurt. Besides, he hadn't even met the other two students, and Amu was supposed to be his friend.

He sighed. "Perhaps not, but I can hear it in your tone."

Amu brought the phone away from her face and stared at it suspiciously for a minute. How on Earth was Nagihiko so good at reading her?

"As I was saying Amu, I had saved this as the last call since I thought you would need extra help. And you'll see how the other students are for yourself."

"Huh?"

"You've forgotten about today's registration, haven't you? Honors registration?"

Amu's eyes bulged out, gaze fixed on the calendar. "That's what it was!"

"I would've personally come to help you, but I've been assigned to another University Scholar. If you hadn't been marked off for your conduct on the first day, you would have been paired with me. The university had apparently seen fit to demote you to the bottom of the Honors students."

Nagihiko continued speaking, unaware that Amu had already put him on speakerphone and was in the process of getting ready. "Amu, please be careful today."

"I have to go. I'm gonna be late, Nagi – " Amu was in such a rush that she had hung up halfway through her own sentence.

" 'Nagi,' huh?" Nagihiko shook his head as the muscles on his forehead crinkled. That girl really was so clueless sometimes that he couldn't help but want to take care of her.

* * *

Running through the path strewn with autumn leaves, Amu recognized the familiar tree at the end of the road. She slung her black briefcase bag against her shoulders, keeping it close to her side as an ominous feeling grew at the pit of her stomach.

What was it that she was forgetting?

Looking at the tall tree with its golden leaves still in place, she half expected to see a dark figure leaning casually against the trunk. She'd be caught trapped in his gaze as she'd stare into those sharp, deep eyes.

And those playful eyes would suddenly turn as dark as the image of his back with an overbearing sense of sadness that would fill her heart to the point of making her want to weep.

She shook her head, wondering why of all things, she was suddenly thinking about Ikuto, even if it was the tree where they had first met. Or when it was exactly that she had seen those sad eyes.

The feeling of foreboding crept closer. Amu was forgetting something very important, but she shrugged it off and figured that she would find out later what it was that constantly gnawed at the back of her mind.

At the corner of her eye, as she passed the tree, Amu caught a glimpse of a moving shadow. It knelt against the base of the tree with a mass of messy hair sticking pointedly outwards in all directions. Squinting, she cautiously stepped closer. _Ikuto?_ She wondered, curious yet reluctant to meet him.

"There you are Amu!" Kukai stepped from beneath the shade of the tree with a large grin on his face. Amu sucked in a breath, suddenly tense.

"Nagihiko said you might need a bodyguard." He took a deep breath and inflated his chest. Then, closing his hands into fists, he flexed.

Amu's body immediately slackened as she gave into a fit of giggles.

"Whoever wants to mess with this must be crazy!" Kukai walked forward with a smile, motioning her to follow.

When Amu's laughter subsided, she wiped the corner of her eyes with an appreciative sigh. "I'm not sure why I need one though."

He stopped walking and slowly turned around to face her. "You're not serious are you? Did you really forget?"

"Forget what?" Amu questioned. Other than that disturbing dream, there wasn't anything that really bothered her. She shrugged it off and checking her wristwatch, she suddenly screamed, "Oh my god, I'm late!"

Kukai quickly slipped his hand in hers but before he could drag her forward, Amu pulled her hands away, her cheeks highlighted with a bright pink. After looking at Amu, Kukai immediately turned away. The corners of his ears were rosy.

"This is what I get for waiting for you Amu. Are you going to let a Guardian be late? You'll have to take responsibility for this Amu."

"I-I'm s-sorry, Ku…Kukai." She struggled with his name, finding that her blush intensified when she said it. "I-I'll m-make it up to you."

He turned around and offered a quick wink before facing away from her again. "Then…be prepared for our Super Dash! Since I'm your mentor, think of this as part of your training as an Honorary member."

He grabbed her hand and before Amu's eyes could follow their linked hands, she was practically flying behind the soccer star.

They reached the reception hall of the main building, panting desperately as they burst through the double doors. Amu was heaving for air with a hand clasped against her chest. She bent forward, hair sticking to her face as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat.

Kukai recovered much more quickly, but he immediately joined the Guardians that stood at the front of the room.

It was silent and Amu felt like she was experiencing yet another instance of déjà vu. She stared at the ground. The glossy marble tiles reflected her own downcast image back at her and gradually, she began working her usual magic.

Calm and even breathing. Narrowed yet sparkling eyes. The gleam of her bubblegum pink hair. Relaxed shoulders and straight back. And for the final touch, she slung her bag over her shoulder before staring at each of the 5 other people in the room.

But unlike the last time, there were no gasps and sighs.

There was only one table. Two of the honorary students had already arrived and were facing towards the Guardians.

Nagihiko stood at the podium with his cape. "Welcome, Amu Hinamori." He said with a gentle smile. "Please take a seat between Tadase Hotori and Rima Mashiro. We've only begun discussing the mentor arrangements."

Amu's cold stare warmed from Nagihiko's presence. Gracefully, she headed towards the seat eased by his friendly and comforting tone.

The blond seated in front of Nagihiko rose from his seat and turned around to face Amu. His bangs hung over his face as he bowed. "Pleased to meet you Amu Hinamori. I'm Tadase Hotori. Please take care of me."

She stared into those russet eyes, measured him with a look, falling completely deaf to the mild snort coming from the mass of wavy blond hair towards her right side.

Finding him offering a hand out, she hiccuped and almost forgot to breathe when he stood up again. His golden hair swept along his forehead beautifully. His movements were refined, proper and gentlemanly. He was just like a prince from those fairytales.

The perfect prince whose held out hands offered happy endings and rainbows and butterflies in perfect kingdom come. Whose silk voice was music to her ears.

"Amu"

She murmured at his use of her first name. Her shoulders slouched. Her grip on the bag slackened. Her defenses were already starting to break.

"Hinamori." He completed.

Amu fell with a crash, the tip of her foot tripping against the edge of a tile.

"Amu, are you alright?" Kukai bent down against the rosette, trying to help her up. "Can't have my trainee falling on the first day right?"

Amu, catching the concern in Kukai's emerald eyes, gulped. When Nagihiko motioned for Kukai to return to the Guardians with a disapproving look, Amu guiltily watched the brunet walk away.

"Pft. _This_ is Amu Hinamori?" The speaker turned around and looked down at Amu who was just beginning to rise from the ground.

Amu's eyes widened. She was small, with beautiful soft curls and lithe arms. Petite and yet so together, Rima wore the cutest frilly white dress. She sparkled just as much as Tadase. Amu rubbed her eyes.

How was it possible? How was it possible that beside the Prince sat an equally elegant princess? It was like Amu barged her way into a fairy tale. The only commoner among royalty.

"Oiy, are you guys sure she's an honors student?" Rima questioned. She waved a hand in front of Amu.

Nagihiko chuckled. "Yes, that is Amu Hinamori, the one who numerically scored highest in this year's incoming freshman class."

Amu awkwardly made her way to her seat, wishing she could hide.

"You mean, the girl who slapped Ikuto Tsukiyomi?" Rima crossed her arms sternly. "I don't believe it."

Amu gaped, eyes going wide. "I slapped Ikuto? I-It wasn't a dream?!" She held her shaking head with her two hands propped up against the table top.

"It's all over the news. Haven't you seen it?" Kukai said offhandedly, though the corners of his lips curved up slightly.

"I-Ikuto's g-g-girlfriend," she blanched. The gnawing sense of foreboding at the back of her mind was gone. It was now a full-fledged anchor weighing down against her chest. Amu continually slammed her head against the wooden table. "This is my punishment."

Kukai failed to hide his shudder. "And it'll only get worse. If you think Ikuto's bad, just wait until you meet his fangirls."

* * *

I'll try to wrap up things more nicely in the next chapter...which should get easier to write after this. I hope.


	10. A Future Guardian's Declaration

* * *

**The Art of Seduction** by lionetspirit

Chapter 9: A Future Guardian's Declaration

The ceiling of the reception hall arched high above the heads of the University Scholars and their respective sophomore Guardians. Except for the Sophomore Ace and Queen, each of the Guardians was present and assigned to an honors student as a mentor.

Nagihiko, the King's Chair, was assigned to mentor the #1 ranked student, but since the university had deducted points from Amu for her outburst on orientation day, the lineup had been shifted, thus demoting her two places down: below Tadase Hotori, followed by Rima Mashiro.

Tadase Hotori was thus assigned to Nagihiko and Rima Mashiro to the Queen's chair.

Although this was all very interesting and although Amu was sincerely grateful to have Kukai, a familiar face, as a mentor, she could not remove her cheek from the tabletop of which it was pasted against.

She attempted to listen to Nagihiko's words to the best of her ability, but found her thoughts straying towards a certain supposed "boyfriend."

"Amu Hinamori!" Nagihiko maintained the formality. "Please pay attention. If any of these rules are broken, you may face the possibility of suspension."

"Really," the human doll stuck her nose in the air, "the manners these Americans are taught. Seiyo University should remain strictly Japanese."

Amu didn't even find the energy to put on her Cool-and-Spicy act.

It wasn't until the Queen Chair stepped in that Amu found it more interesting to keep her head up.

She walked in with shimmering indigo hair flowing gently down her back as she gracefully floated in. The scent of jasmine wafted into the room.

Amu's topaz eyes broadened at the traditional Japanese beauty, not just for her elegance, but rather for her identically colored hair, identically colored chocolate brown eyes, and her identically shaped face as the King's chair.

She bowed and smiled, warming up Amu as she did so. She had the same charm as Nagihiko. Amu stared dumbly between the King and Queen's chair with her jaw hung open.

"Nadeshiko Fujisaki, Queen's Chair. I apologize for the tardiness, but it had taken some time for the cookies to bake."

"Na-Na-Na…" Amu stuttered, trying to decide whether to call her Nadeshiko or Nagihiko.

"Nadeshiko is my twin sister." Nagihiko sighed. "She had been busy this week with traditional Japanese performances, so she was unable to attend the orientation."

"Pleased to meet you" She bowed again, her hair cascading at the sides of her face as she lowered her head. She opened the straw weaved basket filled with cookies and a delicious aroma mixed with the jasmine scent. "I hope you'll enjoy these," she said before passing them around.

The maroon armchair softly scratched the floor as Nadeshiko pulled it out. Amu watched as she settled in the chair facing Rima, feeling just a bit envious.

She could not help but stare. It was the image of Nagihiko with long hair that she tried so hard to imagine and it was as beautiful as she suspected it would be.

"As I was saying," Nagihiko cleared his throat. "The most essential rule about this Academy is that students are _prohibited_ from leaving the campus for the school year."

Amu raised her head. Tadase and Rima stared at the King.

"There are various reasons for this, but essentially, it is for your own safety." Nagihiko turned to his twin sister and nodded for her to explain. Despite sitting at the same table as the new students, the Guardians still maintained an air of authority.

"Seiyo is world-renown and aside for University Scholars, tuition can only be afforded by some of the wealthiest and brightest. Therefore, for a Seiyo student to wander out in public would be extremely risky, since we are prime ransoming targets."

"What?!'" Amu nearly screeched, color finally going back to her cheeks. She had never heard about this absurd policy before entering the school or of the absurd danger. How would she see the three sisters? Ran, Miki and Suu had followed her to Japan. It was too cruel to be jailed in the campus forever.

When Amu realized that everyone's attention had turned to her for her outburst, she forced the muscles of her face to loosen from the shock and reverted to her bored expression. "And what if we break that rule?" She remarked coolly.

Immediately, both Kukai and Nagihiko spun to meet her gaze.

Kukai suddenly coughed, then turned to Nagihiko. Nagihiko simply shook his head.

"Then you risk suspension." Nadeshiko stated while smiling sweetly. She held out the basket of cookies. Amu shuddered slightly, sensing hidden danger behind the girl's elegance.

But more so than Nadeshiko's masked fierceness, Amu shivered at the four words. Suspension? How many times did she risk getting suspended before classes even officially started? She was living outside of campus. Did the school know about that?

Kukai's tense shoulders slackened before he turned back to the rosette. "There are exceptions of course."

Amu relaxed, but immediately turned rigid again.

"For Guardians of course. Well, considering that combined, the Guardians have almost the same amount of power as the principal." Kukai winked.

'_For Guardians_.' The words echoed ominously in Amu's mind. "Ran, Miki, Suu…" She whispered, eyes downcast.

She could not block out the image of Ami in tears. Ami, who was old enough to be in middle school now, had still looked like her baby sister when she dug her head against Amu, revealing only the shaking pigtails of light hazelnut hair.

Ami had cried so hard that even Amu's entire body trembled from Ami's tight hug. It was only until the three sisters promised Ami, each with their own pinky swears that they would take care of Amu in Ami's place, that Ami finally pulled away from the hug. Her parents placed their trust in them and allowed Amu to study so far away because of them.

Amu sighed, recalling how her dad blabbered to the three girls, shaking each of their hands and saying "Please take care of my little girl" as if she was being married off.

The pink strands of Amu's hair flew messily around her face as she shook her head. It wouldn't do any good to think of the past. She had to focus on the present and future. That's what she came here to do wasn't it?

She attempted to bring her attention back to the conversation, but found her mind wandering back and forth.

"So Guardians have enough authority to be exempt from the same rules that everyone else has to follow?" Tadase said, eyes suddenly gleaming. "They have that much power?" His voice nearly cracked at the end of the question.

"In a sense," Nagihiko nervously smiled. "But even the Guardians can't wander around in public freely without doing something in exchange."

"We are only allowed out of the school gates for internships or jobs and even then, we can't go alone. We have to travel with at least one other Guardian." Kukai further explained.

A light 'hmph!' could be heard from the direction of the petite blonde freshman.

"Well, it's a great opportunity to make friends." Nadeshiko smiled at Rima. "You may even discover your best friend like this." She sent a sidelong glance at Nagihiko and Kukai.

"Plus," Kukai said while looking at Rima who had her arms crossed and eyes closed. "None of this is any of your concern. Unless you become a Guardian, you won't even be leaving the campus."

"Now," Nagihiko rested a hand on Kukai's left shoulder, trying to stop him from further goading the arrogant new student. "A Guardian is allowed to leave the campus without a fellow student, but he or she would be sent out with assigned teachers or guards."

Meanwhile, Tadase remained at the center of the table, sitting across from Nagihiko. Though he had remained quiet from the conversation, his presence was overwhelming.

Amu's attention found its way to the very conspicuous Tadase. Although she had been wandering in and out of daydreams and memories, she leaned slightly left to distance herself from the immense intensity of the aura the princely Tadase was emitting. It was as if his entire body was on fire. His eyes blazed with ambition and his body seemed to be trembling from excitement. Rima sat on his right and leaning back with her arms and legs crossed and eyes closed, Amu could not be certain whether Rima was oblivious to the incredible fire, or whether she was just ignoring it.

"And that is why most students aspire to become Guardians." Nadeshiko stood up.

Amu looked at her. _Aspire to become Guardians_. It was that simple. She listened attentively.

Walking around the table, Nadeshiko pressed a hand against Tadase's head and gently kept him from jumping up. "See, the Guardians don't exactly have the same kind of authority as the principal, or dean, or chancellor. And unlike those paid and hired school officials, we're elected by students. There are Guardians for each year. We're the student body representatives and we can be voted out of office at any time."

Kukai sighed. "Honestly, it feels like it's not even worth all the trouble sometimes. The Guardians have a mountain of work to take care of too. Organizing events, voting on school rules, suspensions, counting Guardian votes for other grades and a bunch of paperwork."

"It doesn't matter!" Tadase slammed his palms against the tabletop, eyes glimmering like big bright stars. "I am going to become a Guardian! The King's chair. And one day, I'll become the King of this school!" He rested his hands against his hips and bellowed a hearty laugh.

Besides his laughter, the room remained silent. The three sophomore Guardians stared with pallid faces, struck completely paralyzed by his sudden declaration. Amu watched in horror. That prince that she had seen before would surely make a good king right? He belonged to royalty, yet at this moment, he looked more like a maniac.

A maniac addicted to power.

Her eyes widened. If a maniac addicted to power could do it…

"So you're saying," Rima tapped a finger against the side of her crossed arms. "That you guys can do whatever you want that other people can't? You can change to school to your liking?"

"Well, no, not really." Nagihiko raised his arms in front of him and waved them, defenseless. "That- that's not quite what we were trying to say."

Kukai slapped a hand against his forehead and Nadeshiko shook her head.

"Then! I've decided!"

Amu's fingers gripped the side of her chair, away from everyone's gaze.

"For that absolute authority. So that I can live easily and have others serve me willingly." Rima flipped her hair and smiled. "I too, will become a Guardian."

Another moment of silence passed. Amu's fingernails dug against the underside of her seat. Her arms were straight and her head, down.

Tadase had entered his own daydream and remained standing at the center of the table, across from a Nagihiko whose face was as pale as Nadeshiko's and Kukai's. The guardians stared at Rima with equal horror. "I fear," Nagihiko struggled with his words.

"For the freshman class." Nadeshiko finished his sentence. Kukai nodded violently, unable to find his voice.

"I..." Only her pink hair could be seen. Amu's bangs covered her face, but the one word caused everyone to turn to her. She looked up, sharp golden eyes shining with fierce determination.

Taken back by her sudden glare, Kukai eyes widened, cheeks turning a warm carnation pink. Nagihiko's eyes softened and the corners of his lips rose in a kind smile. Amu turned to meet Nagihiko's gaze, then turned to Nadeshiko who nodded and smiled widely.

Amu's fingers gripped the handle of her bag. She pushed aside her chair then flipped her briefcase bag against her shoulder. Turning to her right, she stated, "For…for those reasons!" Her right hand tightened against the bag. "Unbelievable."

Then shoving her chair to the side, she walked away. The corner of her bag abruptly knocked into Tadase. She leaned back slightly and turned only her head to look back. Her eyes were narrowed at Tadase and then Rima, even though she addressed the sophomores. "When's the freshman elections for Guardians?"

"I believe it's in two weeks, Amu-chan." Nadeshiko spoke with a grin, while the other two Guardians continued to stare.

"Well then, the next time I see you guys will be in office. When we're all guardians, that is." Amu faced straight at the exit, feeling the stares of everyone in the room on her back. "Tch. That's if either of you guys can make it."

With the final flick of her hair, Amu walked out.

The sophomore Guardians smiled as they watched the silenced freshmen. Tadase had finally settled into his chair with an immense blush on his face and his head down. Rima remained in exactly the same position, her eyes closed and arms crossed.

"That is Amu Hinamori." Rima stated with certainty.

Looking up at the door, Tadase spoke. "She'd make an interesting Queen."

Rima shrugged to show disinterest, but she opened her eyes slightly to peek out. "Sorry future King, but that position will be mine." Her hand tightened into a fist. "I won't lose to her."

Nagihiko sighed inwardly. "Trouble magnet," he muttered under his breath. Kukai nodded.

"That's all for today." Nagihiko announced. "Your assigned guardians will be your mentors. We are here to guide you and help you with any problems. Keep close to us for the next two weeks. After that, you're on your own. Meeting adjourned." He concluded with a small shiver as he stole a glance at the now reserved Tadase who constantly bowed in apology for his outburst.

When he looked at the blonde girl sitting with her chin up in the air, he could not help but feel luckier than Nadeshiko.

After seeing the tense muscles of his sister in her fake smile, the image of dark purple hair, a pair small hands and the gleam from the blade of a Naginata appeared in his mind. He decided it wasn't Nadeshiko he pitied, but Rima who was going to be in for more than she bargained for.

* * *

A mild breeze swept through the Seiyo courtyard. Amu leaned her head back against her bench and looked up at the building that stood behind her. It was tall and majestic, built almost like a castle. The clock tower was at the center of the Academy. At its top, the brass bell rang every hour.

The columns and arches, the large French windows and the woods that stretched across acres of campus only made Amu feel out of place.

Everything was so beautiful. So comfortable. So sunny.

She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand and sighed. This really was the school for aristocrats. She didn't belong here. She was a city girl who was used to minding her own business. A normal city girl who wasn't rich or very poor. She was smack in the middle. Average.

What was she doing here, among the rich and beautiful in a country half the world away from her family? People like Hotori, Nadeshiko and Nagihiko belonged here. Mashiro, the modern day princess, too. In fact, everyone she had met at Seiyo. Even Ikuto.

Especially Ikuto.

She closed her eyes and remembering his presumptuous actions and arrogant ways, the muscles on her forehead tightened.

But those were the kinds of people who belonged at Seiyo. The ones with enough money, influence and looks to become as self-assured as that jerk. Maybe she wasn't in the position to put him back in place.

"Argg!" She screamed, eyes scrunched closed as her body slacked against the bench. She didn't think she had done anything wrong but she couldn't forget that expression. He was so defenseless, so sad. So lonely.

She hopped upright and violently scratched her fingers through her hair. "What the heck!" _Why the heck should I be feeling guilty?_

That little girl who once stood at the front of a filled classroom, so nervous that she ended up glaring at the entire class because she was thinking so hard about what to say, was her. When the other girls had talked excitedly about going shopping afterschool, she could only stand by. She wanted to go, but they thought it wasn't her style.

And then, Miki had pulled her by the wrist out of her house all the way to the mall where Amu had so much fun, she couldn't remember why they had gone in the first place.

Amu flopped forward, hair falling over her face and her black and red striped scarf unraveling at the motion. She pulled her legs up onto the seat, the leather boots creasing at the ankle. Her arms wrapped around the skirt over her bare legs until she curled into a ball.

If she wasn't allowed to leave the campus, she'd lose Ran, Miki, and Suu. She'd be lonely.

Like Ikuto.

She hugged her legs more tightly.

"I wonder how he is…" she muttered, raising her head to peek past her knees. The path ahead of her was strewn with autumn leaves and lined with similar wooden benches. The trees above arched over the path, creating the image of an outdoor hallway.

She brushed her index finger over her lips. Realizing her actions, her eyes grew wide and her cheeks reddened.

An instant later, her eyebrows angled downwards, she scrunched her nose and she clasped her right hand so tightly in a fist that her knuckles were becoming white.

"As much fun as it is to watch your face change so many times, I thought you might need this."

Amu turned to face the speaker, but was slapped in the face with the plastic enclosed school uniform.

"Kukai!" She spluttered.

"You ran out so early, you didn't pick up your school uniform on your way out."

"Oh," She murmured, looking away. "Thanks."

He settled in the seat beside her, leaning back against his arms as he stared into the sky. "I know it's hard to get used to. It's probably the only reason I became a Guardian."

"I'm jealous you can say that so easily." Amu stared at her feet.

He shrugged, still looking up at the sky. "It's not that I'm not concerned about the students and stuff. It just started that way, wanting to be a Guardian so I could visit home. Who wouldn't want that? But everyone's got their own reasons. As long as they get the job done, it's fine."

"Yeah." Amu said blankly.

A brief moment of silence passed. Kukai, with his eyes on the sky and Amu, still staring at her boots.

"Is that it?" She remarked casually with a raised eyebrow.

"Amu," Kukai sat up and grabbed Amu by her slumped shoulders, surprising her out of her Cool-and-Spicy character. "You can always talk to me. Even if you're stuck at school for a little while, at least you've got me – that is – us I mean. Us Guardians. Nagihiko too."

She faced him and hiccuped at suddenly being so close. His emerald eyes gazed at her intently without blinking even as his amber-brown hair lightly fell against his forehead. She kept his gaze, but feeling the blush blossoming on her cheeks, she began to turn away from Kukai and missed the rosy hue on the Jack's face.

"Besides, it's not like you're not allowed visitors." Kukai winked, releasing her from his grip.

"Ehh?" Amu, with her face flushed, yelped. "Are you serious?!"

Kukai grinned widely and offered a thumbs-up. "Isn't that great?"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Amu was never much of the violent type, but she resisted the urge to smack him. If he hadn't been Kukai, she might have done it too.

"Well," he blinked a few times, "you didn't ask."

"Kukai!"

"Now everything's solved!" With his hands in his pockets, he rose from the bench.

"Yeah," Amu smiled half-heartedly.

"Now what?" Kukai sighed, bending on his knees to meet her eyes. "Like I said before, you can talk to me."

She didn't look at him, but hugged the uniform with a grin. It was the warmth of kindness that she felt. "Thanks Kukai, really..."

"No prob." He smiled, placing a hand on her knee.

"But it's kind of embarrassing to tell." Amu lowered her head.

Kukai's face fell. "Oh." Then brightening, he spoke. "What if I guess it? It wouldn't have anything to do with what I saw in front of the supermarket on Saturday, would it?"

Amu raised her head, lips parted. "You were in front of the supermarket? You mean, you _saw_ everything?"

She turned glowed red by the end of her question.

"You…didn't know? I thought," he breathed out a sigh of relief. He murmured the rest. "I thought that you were referring to me and Nagihiko when you asked about breaking the rule."

Not having heard Kukai, Amu jumped up from her seat causing Kukai to almost fall backwards from his crouch. "So you know what they're talking about! That k-k-kiss! How c-could he do that? What am I going to do? Now I'm going to be hunted around by his stupid fan girls for the rest of my life! And…and on top of that I just find out that I've been breaking a school rule this whole time?! I've been living out there for a week and a half, if anyone finds out, I'll be kicked out even without the probation thing! And…and…and that ki-ki-kiss!"

Kukai could only watch, dazed by the onslaught of words that Amu was spewing, before finally standing up. "Yeah, that housing thing is a problem but you won't be held responsible for it until now because you didn't know. You'd have to move back onto campus though and luckily for you, we guardians can probably arrange something for you. Good thing you're well connected." He laughed and patted her on the back.

Her eyes were teary as she looked at him, so thankful and relieved that she was rendered speechless.

"And as for that kiss, just think of _that_ one as an accidental brush on the lips." Kukai hooked an arm around her neck. He was smiling, but his fingers pressed into Amu's shoulder. "It's not the end of the world. It was just a kiss. Nothing you haven't done before."

When the sophomore Jack was about to send another wink in Amu's direction, he caught her suddenly pallid face. He immediately released his grip and pushing her an arm's length away watching her with sudden concern "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" His hands dropped to his sides as if just realizing.

"Amu?" He waved a hand in front of her face before she finally responded in a small voice.

"I-It _was_ my first kiss."

He blinked. "But, you're in college now."

"So?"

"You're 18."

"_So?_" She said with a glare.

"Oh my god, Amu." He snickered.

"What is it?" The rosette nearly snapped. She stared down at the floor, as she tried to hide her blush with her hair.

"Amu, you're such a _prude_!" Kukai broke into a fit of laughter.

"Kukai!" Amu screeched before extending her hand to whack him with her uniform. Just out of reach, Kukai gave her a large grin before running off. He sprinted ahead, hand still clutched over his stomach as he occasionally stopped to give into another fit of laughter.

Having fallen behind, Amu leaned forward to catch her breath. From the end of the path, Kukai's silhouette waved energetically. "Come on trainee. Show me your Super Dash!" He yelled across the distance, before Amu, with fire at her heels, dashed forward with whopping battle cry that soon became laughter.

"Slow down!" She rasped, hands at her knees while still holding the plastic bag.

* * *

Meanwhile, at some distance away from the path, on a branch of a tree, a pair of saffron eyes peeked open. Yoru rubbed his twitching ears with the back of his hands and lazily yawned. Seeing Ikuto leaning against the base of the branch fully awake to the scene below, Yoru muttered, "I'm bored nya."

Ikuto shrugged, eyes narrowing at the chase down below. "How annoying."

Yoru opened his mouth, taking offense, but after following Ikuto's gaze to a certain pink-haired girl, he groaned. "So go apologize nya. Or find a new toy. I hate when you mope nya. It's so boring."

"I don't _mope_ Yoru." Ikuto said with a snarl. "And I'm annoyed because those kids are so damn loud."

"Mhm." Yoru murmured with his eyes closed, knowing better than to push the matter further. "I'm heading back to the dorms. See if I got any more cat food stored for Alto. How is he, nya?"

Ikuto shrugged.

"Ya know," Yoru began to climb down. "It'd just be easier if we could take him in now. How's the application process going by the way? For keeping a pet at the dorms?"

Ikuto shrugged again. "Got rejected. But what'd you expect? I couldn't provide an 'appropriate living environment' apparently."

From under the tree, Yoru called out. "You should've breezed through it nya. I'd never be able to tell you're the stepson of the Director if it wasn't for the apartment in the Honors suite. That place is sweet! Which reminds me, I'll be coming over after nya."

"Just a bigger prison cell." Ikuto murmured. He watched Yoru hop away with his messy dark hair bouncing up and down as he went. Really, if Yoru cared enough about it, he would've easily found a place in Easter's modeling company.

Yoru accompanied Ikuto every week during his photo shoots, but no one gave the disheveled young college student a second look. Ikuto leaned his head back against the tree trunk and looked up at the bright sky. If only Yoru could replace him at Easter.

All that glamour and fame, Ikuto didn't need them. He had other dreams for himself. Things he wanted to do. But he gave them up the moment Kazuomi married his mother and took over the school.

Well, it wasn't like his life now was all that bad. Sometimes it was just easier to go with the flow, and wasn't he successful for it?

But no matter how much Ikuto told himself that, he could not get rid of the constant feeling of uneasiness. No matter how many women he slept through, or how many magazine covers he was on, or how angry he made Mr. Hoshina, he was never content.

Though when was he ever? Besides those afternoons he'd spend at the office with his parents afterschool, drinking milk and eating cookies, looking out of those big French windows across the campus and knowing that someday he'd inherit his father's legacy. His sister, Utau, would run across the school grounds with a huge smile, all the while humming sweet little tunes she'd invent herself. It was just as sunny then, but much less cold, less empty.

And now, with both his parents gone, there was nothing to fill him again.

His pockets shook. Ikuto slipped his hand in and pulled out his cell phone. On the front display, read "Easter."

"Yes?" He inquired.

Ikuto's eyes widened. There _was_ something. "Amu Hinamori? What do you want with her?"

* * *

Again, another unfocused chapter :x It'll get better soon. I finally worked up an idea for the next couple of chapters. It'll be fun :) Sorry for the wait! I really should've finished this story last year. When this idea was still original and not used by anyone else yet. Oh well. I'll just have to try and make it incredible!

Please note: All comments are greatly appreciated. Plus it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like a successful writer. Of course you don't _have_ to, but it's nice ;)

Press me! (You know you wanna!)

l

l

V

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

**The Art of Seduction** by lionetspirit

Chapter 10: Classes Begin

Amu sat on the floor with her knees up, only a few feet away from the flickering television screen before her. In her right hand, she clasped a tissue, crumpling it as she watched the news.

"On Saturday, Ikuto Tsukiyomi was spotted outside Daiei supermarket with, who he claims to be, his girlfriend. As we all know, the rising international star has never publicly announced any relations with anyone, asserting that he wanted his focus to be on future career goals, not and I quote, 'meaningless love affairs.' Here's the recording if you've missed it this week."

The reporter's face was replaced by the too-familiar-scene. Ikuto stood with a clearly red-faced Amu trapped beneath him. Ikuto's silky voice made Amu's knees shake. "Yes, I was going to wait to make a public announcement but I just couldn't wait any longer. This is Amu Hinamori." A moment of silence passed. "My new girlfriend."

The report's voice cut into the scene. "Who is this Amu Hinamori? And what will this mean for Tsukiyomi's career?"

Amu's hand found the remote and with her pulse thundering hard against her ears, she pressed the 'power' button.

At the very instant the television turned off, Amu's phone rang. Not recognizing the number, she picked up her cellphone and gasped at the voice.

"Ikuto?! What do you want?" Her eyes widened. "No. I'm not coming. I don't care if you're there every day. I am _not_ coming to see you!"

With that, Amu flipped her phone shut but she couldn't fight the knot in her stomach. Something bad was coming, but she was sure that if she hung around Ikuto, it'd only be worse.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yoru was relaxing in Ikuto's apartment.

"How about starting the weekly pickings early this year nya?" Yoru leaned lazily across the black leather couch in the living room. He raised a hand to filter the afternoon light that streamed through the ceiling length windows that made up the fourth wall of Ikuto's apartment.

Ikuto unloaded the cans of cat food from the large paper bag on the floor. "No."

"But Ikuto," Yoru whined, turning onto his stomach as he propped his head up with two hands. "It'll help make you feel better nya, get you out of that slump."

"I'm not in a slump."

"You haven't even looked at a girl since…" Yoru was silenced by Ikuto's glare. "I just mean that ever since you met that no-good Amu, you've only gotten yourself into a mess."

Ikuto's glare softened slightly as he turned to look at the can of cat food he was holding. He spun it around, marveling at the label before Yoru interrupted.

"See, this is what I'm talking about nya!" Yoru slapped the can out of Ikuto's hands. It fell on the ground with a clang and rolled away.

Ikuto sighed. Lifting himself from the ground, he said to Yoru, "Take care of the rest of this. I'm going to take a nap."

"Ikuto, nya." Yoru watched the retreating figure in concern. "What happened to that rule of yours? Look after yourself only. Just forget Amu and that stupid slap! If she can't appreciate how much trouble you put yourself in to help her, then don't help her!"

"You understand, right Yoru?" A hush fell.

Yoru understood that look in Ikuto's eyes, a look that he hadn't ever personally seen on Ikuto himself, but saw often enough in the girls whom Ikuto was with.

"Ikuto…to Amu…?" His feline jaw hung open, and his eyes almost popped out of his sockets.

Ikuto abruptly turned around so that his back was facing Yoru. "They want her. Easter wants her. I've already called her but she won't listen."

* * *

With the start of classes, Amu almost forgot about the "real" world – the world she'd have to face when it came time to move her things out of her apartment. She certainly forgot about the mysterious call from Ikuto.

Since the day she met Rima Mashiro and Tadase Hotori, she had not seen anyone, except Kukai again. That, she was grateful for. She'd often hear horror stories about the Prince's sudden outbursts that happened whenever Hotori and Nagihiko passed by any crowds of girls. He'd spurt out something like, "I am no Prince. I am King. King of the world!" and then order Nagihiko to "fetch" him some food, or to give him a massage.

Nagihiko, being the kind and pleasant person he always was, simply did what Hotori-san said with a smile and hoped that with the one task, the princely figure would revert back to the somewhat shy and very well-mannered person that he was when they had first met.

As for Nadeshiko, she was having her own handful of problems with the human doll. In many ways, the leading male and female of the honors group were similar. Mashiro, who was filthy rich compared to most of the students at the academy, had never lifted a finger to do anything for herself in her life. And upon ordering Nadeshiko around, the sophomore Queen would promptly launch into a full-fledged, top of the lung scream of instructions on how to be a proper lady. Kukai said he was surprised Nadeshiko hadn't pulled out her Naginata yet.

Amu remained doubtful over what Kukai said, but still felt all the more grateful for having him around.

But that gratefulness would soon fade after hours of running around while dragging a car tire behind her – which was what Amu happened to be doing at the moment.

"In that case, you should be glad I'm not anything like Hotori-san either," Amu grumbled.

"What was that, Trainee?" Kukai raised his hand to his ear in an exaggerated motion. "Another car tire, you say?"

Amu growled, "Kukai!" Really, as sweet as Kukai could be sometimes, which he truly was over the past few days, he was _hell_ to deal with when they were training.

"Alright, Amu." He removed the ropes around her arms, pulling them over her head behind her. For a moment, Amu was scared that Kukai would pull out another car tire from out nowhere, but instead, he led her to a bench, much to her relief.

"I'm sure the football team is missing their equipment." Kukai handed her a bottle.

Sweating, she gladly took the bottle of water and didn't even have time to blush as Kukai wiped her face and neck with a cool damp towel. If anything, she had a greater inclination to kill him at the moment.

"This isn't all pointless. You might think I'm just doing this to you just – "

"To torture me," Amu interrupted.

Kukai grinned. "Okay, well I was going to say, just because I wanted you to be my soccer partner."

"Huh?" She stared at him as he intently wiped her forehead without looking at her.

"I see potential, plus it'd be an excuse for you to leave campus." He took the bottle of water and poured some of it onto the towel. After wringing it out, he brought it back against Amu's feverish neck.

"Eeek!" Amu jumped up with a shiver, suddenly conscious of what he was doing. She was all too thankful her face was still flushed from all the running.

Kukai immediately gave in to another fit of laughter. "Oh my god Amu. I don't think I've ever laughed this hard in one day!"

Amu glared, crossed her arms, and plopped back down against the bench, but really she was just a little pleased. And offended.

"But seriously now, Amu." He gently nudged her hand and when there was no response, suddenly crouched in front of her. "There's a good reason to all of this, besides training you as my partner." He wiped her right cheek and brought the towel behind her burning ear.

Amu grabbed Kukai by the wrist and looked him in the eye, voice a little edgy. "Really? I'd like to know what it is."

For a moment, they remained in silence. Kukai with a hint of dull amaranth on his cheeks, quite possibly from the workout, and Amu with a returning though blank stare. At this angle, Kukai's eyes were as translucent as real emeralds, and it was at this observation that Amu abruptly released her grip and pulled the damp washcloth out of Kukai's hand.

"Thanks, but I can do this myself." She looked away.

Kukai looked at his empty hand while still kneeling in front of Amu.

"Oh, right." He spoke with an immediate grin, but he wobbled a little on his knees before propping himself up with a hand.

"So, the reason?"

"Right." Kukai murmured as he sat beside Amu. "I thought it was pretty obvious."

Amu's hand shook slightly as she wiped away the remaining traces of sweat. "Well, make it more obvious" she spoke in a way usually reserved for her Cool-and-Spicy character.

"It'll help you get away from the fangirls, for one thing. " Kukai's tone was playful. He was leaning against his arms and was facing up at the sky. His legs were crossed with one resting on the other at the ankle. "You gotta relax a bit, you know? Chill out a little Amu. Seiyo will teach you that."

"Yeah. The world renowned school will teach me, of all things, to 'chill out'. Especially when I've got jealous girls after me."

Kukai gave her a big slap on the back, causing Amu to fall forward and yelp.

"Yep. Enjoy the ride. Or chase, or whatever."

As she recovered, she hacked: "Really, Kukai. You're too much to keep up with sometimes."

"Well get used to it Freshie." His head rolled to the side to face her and he offered a wink. "Cuz you've gotta be better than that to fend off the rabid fan girls."

Amu paled. And the memories of that day came flooding back.

It was only four days ago since she got her school uniform. Six days since she slapped Ikuto. It seemed that two days wasn't enough time for the general public to forgive Amu for her horrible sin.

After she and Kukai left the other Guardians and Honors members, Amu had chased her sempai all the way across the campus, to the majestic front gate. Kukai had purposely led her there so that he could accompany her back to her apartment to help her begin moving her things.

There wasn't a place for Amu to stay at yet, but Kukai reasoned that they could store some of her things at the Sophomore's Royal Garden for a little while. And since there was only a week before the start of classes, Amu wanted to get started on emptying out her old apartment.

The mob of women at the front gate had other ideas.

Amu called her three best friends and pleaded for them to bring her at least her essentials – a few days worth of clothes, a toothbrush, a picture of her family, her phonebook, her contacts case and her glasses.

"Amu-chan, where will you live desu?" Amu could almost cry at the tone Suu was using.

"Don't worry Suu. It's not like I'm homeless out on the streets or something. I'm safe at school. This school is probably safer than any other school in the world. Did you know that they keep the students on campus so no one can kidnap them?"

"Wahh!" Suu immediately wailed. "Kidnap?! Why kidnap?"

Miki swiped the phone from Suu. "Genius Amu. Real genius." Amu heard muffled voices in the background. Of Ran suddenly wailing together with Suu, squealing "Amu-chan's never coming back!"

"Don't worry!" Amu said more urgently, clasping the phone in her hand. "I'm at Yaya's dorm right now. She's Kukai's friend. I'll just be staying here a few days until I can sneak out and get the rest of my stuff."

"I hate Tsukiyomi," Miki growled. "I hate him for causing you all this trouble."

"But he _was_ really cute," Ran chirped up before suddenly grumbling, "I mean, I hate him too!"

Amu could just imagine Miki sending Ran that glare.

Suu blabbered from beyond the line, "Wh-why does Amu-chan h-have to get involved with such f-famous p-people? Famous p-people are trouble, desu."

"I didn't _know_ he was famous." Amu said defensively.

"It's not Amu's fault. It's Tsukiyomi's. I will maim him for making us break our promises to your Dad, Amu. "

"I bring out the violence in you, Miki." Amu spoke lightly. And with that, their conversation had concluded.

During the next few days, Amu had kept a low profile, but no matter what, unfortunate incidents kept occurring – a hole in her left shoe, hair dye on her comb that she didn't notice until after she had accidentally streaked her hair orange, a missing eraser, an exploding pen.

Yet somehow, it hadn't stopped her from rising as the "Cool and Spicy" girl. No one saw the hole in her shoe. When she streaked her hair orange, she had the added title of "Stylish" to her name. The next day, some of her classmates came in with streaked hair.

Amu wondered how on Earth she became instantly popular. And what was _wrong_ with these people who thought she was worship-worthy.

She had wandered her way around on her first day, getting lost again, before luckily bumping into Kukai.

With a simple "I knew you'd be lost," Kukai pulled Amu's still half-sleeping body to Speech101 at 9:00 a.m. By the time she got there, Kukai had already worked a full blush of her cheeks from all the running and she was completely awake. But her hair needed extra work.

"Geez, Amu. You're such a mess. I might have to give you a wake-up call from now on." He swept a lock of hair away from her eyes with a 'tsk,' handed her a comb Yaya had ran out to give him for Amu, and shoved the rosette into the room. Kukai strolled away in disappointment with the words, "What a Nagi thing to do," upon his lips.

Feeling completely lost, Amu nearly screeched "Kukai!" before stopping herself. She stood in front of a classroom of gaping students, calmed her racing heart and said, with a bored look on her face, "Hey." They continued staring at her with gaping mouths, but she leaned back against her seat, resting her head against one hand while bringing the other to comb through her hair.

Whispers ran through the room of the unanimously decided "Cool kid" of the class.

"She knows the Jack? Last year's debate team champion and the next political figure in training?"

"And they're so familiar with each other!"

"She's so cool!"

"And spicy! Just look at that hair."

"Oh my gawd. I totally love her hair."

"She's rockin' it."

Amu didn't move. She didn't know what to do and she stayed completely blanked out even when the professor repeatedly called her name.

"Amu Hinamori!" He said in frustration. "Will you please introduce yourself already?"

She bit her lip. She didn't want to go to the front of the room. "Do I have to?"

She didn't move her hand, afraid that her neck would be too weak to support the weight of her head. Because, at the moment, everything felt weak.

"Yes!"

She looked up, head still, body motionless. "Well, we've already met."

"Totally rockin' it." She heard a guy whisper behind her. Luckily for her, he had caught the professor's attention and Amu was left off the hook.

The rest of her first day proceeded similarly. It was in Art101, Intro to Drawing, where she was missing an eraser. Not wanting to seem unprepared for her first day, Amu decided to wing it. She remembered back when they were kids, Miki had brought her out to draw the New York City skyline. Ran had stolen her eraser after she yelled at her younger sister for always taking Amu away.

Miki had done the most beautiful drawing by first shading the entire page in different tones of gray, and then using her fingers to smudge the charcoal just the way she wanted. "And finishing touches with a hard pencil to outline the sharp edges." Amu whispered to herself.

By the end of it, the class was clapping their hands and the professor said she would be exempt from Art101 if it was his choice. But since it wasn't, she'd have to go along with the class and hand in the assignments just to get credit.

"Show-off." A redheaded girl muttered. As the rest of the class rolled their eyes, threw their erasers at her, or defended Amu, Amu lowered her head and wished she could just be like any other student in the class.

She'd much rather stay quiet and unknown. Sit in her corner of the room and enjoy drawing without people commenting or watching.

By the time Amu had reached English Lit, she realized that her pen had exploded in her bag, leaving a mess at the bottom of her briefcase bag. Her stack of loose leaf paper soaked up the blue ink on the left edges. Since most of the paper was still useable, she took out a sheet for her in-class assignment on an introductory piece about herself.

When she brought it up to read with trembling hands, the class loved the inkblot "design" and asked her where they could buy the paper. And when they found out she was from the U.S., the students rushed up to ask her about the newest fashion, popular movies and music.

One guy casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder and asked if it was true what they said about how Americans greet each other.

"And how's that?" Amu said a little aggressively despite her pink cheeks, not at all appreciating the sudden contact.

"With a kiss." He leaned forward and Amu, in full panic, stepped to the side, causing him to trip.

"Ugh, do you want a slap too?!" Amu couldn't help but screech, cheeks reddening just as the remembrance of the kiss.

The classroom went completely silent for a few minutes. Before a low chattering quickly built up into a clamor.

"That have-it-all model had it coming!"

"Hell yeah!" joined another chorus of guys.

Amu expected some sort of scratching or slapping or punching to take place among the girls. But some of them grinned, mouthing a silent thank you for teaching Ikuto a lesson. The others just appreciated the fact that there was one less girl to compete with for the model's charms.

The first few days of class went well for the most part, aside from the professors she offended. While Amu was unintentionally building a reputation for herself, her classmates surprisingly didn't give her a hard time. Amu was already hiding from the general public and had suspected she would have to do so at school too.

Compared to the life waiting for her outside, her Cool-And-Spicy character was the least of her concern. In fact, she almost reveled in it. Loving it for, if nothing else, the way it always got her out of a situation. Even if it wasn't completely her, it was better to be seen that way, than to be seen bobbing open her mouth with nothing to say.

During those four days of class, Amu had stayed with Yaya, who had an odd habit of being overly possessive with her sweets. Amu finally understood where all that energy came from. All that energy that miraculously allowed Yaya to keep up with the constantly-on-an-adrenaline-high Kukai.

Yaya exploded once, screaming "Who ate all my cake?!" For the next 5 minutes, Amu clung onto dear life, explaining as quickly as she could, that it was Yaya who had finished the cake two days ago, when Amu was gone collecting more things that the sisters had brought for her. Then Yaya simply laughed awkwardly, scratched her head and said, "Oh yeah."

After that, Yaya trusted Amu significantly more with her pastries and even offered her a piece at one point. That was when Amu _knew_ she had made progress.

It was pleasant for the most part, staying with Yaya. It was like reliving her days back in the U.S. with Ami. She didn't share a room with Ami, but there were many nights when little Ami would cuddle up against Amu in her bed.

Ami was getting too old for it, but neither Amu nor her parents had the heart to stop her. Because Ami had the power to win anyone over with a "Bwut I love Onee-chan thwissss much," and she'd extend her arms just to show how much.

Sometimes, Amu could see Yaya as Ami, especially that windy night when the girl came out to the living room and asked if she could sneak into the guest bed with Amu.

"C-Can Yaya stay with Amu-chi tonight?" Yaya asked in a small voice.

Amu slid over. Grinning, she patted the empty space on the bed. "Hop in."

They huddled under the covers. While Yaya was shaking, Amu took her hand and she slowly calmed down.

"Amu-chi. You're such a clueless person." Yaya curled into a ball, clinging onto the covers. "I wish you weren't so clueless."

"What do you mean, Yaya" Amu soothed.

"I-I'm such a bad person, Amu-chi. I'm low. The worst."

"No, you're not Yaya."

"I am! Why c-can't you just see?"

Amu stroked Yaya's unbraided hair, thinking of how its color resembled Ami's. "You're adorable and sweet. Fun and full of energy. You remind me of my little sister."

Yaya turned around. "That's the worst part. I'm just like a kid."

"Yaya…"

The wind howled. A menacing shadow of a tree branch was cast against the living room wall. Amu could feel Yaya shiver, but the girl pulled away from Amu and got out of bed. "I guess I should go back to my own room."

She cringed again at another howl of wind. "Goodnight Amu-chi."

* * *

"You've gotta work on your sprint, Trainee."

Amu cringed at Kukai's voice as they ran through the kept green lawns of the academy. "I've worked non-stop on my sprint, _Sem-pai!_ Now are we breaking out today of here today or what?"

Kukai spun on his heels and gave her a thumbs-up. "You've got spunk. That's what I like about you Amu."

_Like_? Amu blinked. Had he just used _I, like, you, Amu_ all in the same sentence?! The world spun. Her legs were feeling funny.

Kukai grabbed her hand and pulled her down against a shrub.

"K-Kukai," she kneeled on the ground, breathless. "W-what are you d-doing?! It's – I'm still – I d-don't know! It's too s-soon!"

"What are you talking about?" Kukai whispered with his hand pushing her down at the top of her head. He wasn't looking at Amu, but rather out along the pathway. "Shh for a bit."

Amu brushed away the bits of branches from her hair, hiding her burning cheeks with her hands. She kept quiet.

About thirty feet away from their hiding places, was a mob of girls. Amu ducked and clasped a hand against her chest.

"H-how'd they get here?" She whispered urgently. "That's like a kajillion of them! No wonder weird things kept happening to me."

"What'd you expect? Obviously the whole school would be after you." Kukai pushed aside the leaves of the shrub just enough to see through its crevice. "How are we gonna get you past those schoolgirls? Do you think you're ready to test out your Super Dash?"

Amu breathed out a huge sigh of relief. "School girls? I can handle them. They don't have anything against me anyway."

She promptly smoothed out her skirt, rearranged her belt, pulled out the creased collar of her untucked shirt and slung her jacket behind her back. "Come on, Jack." Smiling, she bowed slightly and offered a hand.

Kukai swiped her hand away, causing Amu to blink. "You do me great shame as a man, Amu. I think you might even top Hotori-san in prince-liness."

"Did someone say Prince?!" On the path a little distance away from the crowd, Tadase Hotori ambled along with a smiling, Nagihiko. Before Tadase even began asking for anything, the purple haired bishounen was by his side, patting him on the back. "No, your Highness."

Tadase Hotori nodded with satisfaction, puffed up his chest and said, "Now come with me commoner!"

Just as Kukai was about to launch into a fit of uncontrollable laughing, Amu clamped her hand over Kukai's mouth to keep him from sniggering too loudly.

While Tadase and Nagihiko had walked far enough away to have missed the scene, the mass of girls turned their attention to the pair.

Girls of different heights and years, all dressed in the same black blazers and white dress shirt, with the same checkered black and red tie with its matching skirt, and their dress shoes, turned to look at the curious scene of Kukai, appearing as if he was about to explode from laughter from the way his cheeks were so red and Amu, whose eyes bulged out as she hissed something sharply to Kukai with a hand clamped on his mouth, and the other at the base of his neck.

The girls stared blankly at Kukai and Amu, who stared blankly back at them.

"This – um – it's not…." Amu instantly dropped her hands and her blazer in the process. After picking it up, she brushed off the dirt.

Her throat was constricting again and her jaws were going tense. A moment of silence passed. Finally out of oxygen, Amu barked, "we'll be on our way then." With her nose in the air, she tugged at Kukai to motion him to leave.

The girls all scuttled to the opposite side of the path, and Amu fought down her blush as she speeded past them. Kukai, on the other hand, was perfectly at ease. It wasn't until Amu stopped suddenly that he asked what was wrong.

Amu had heard it, she was sure: Yoru's voice.

"I told you, this'll cheer you up, nya. Excited about the pickings this year?"

"Not really." It was Ikuto. Amu was sure it was him because the effect on her was immediate. A shiver ran up from the tip of her toes all the way to the top of her head. She was sure she had a huge mass of static hair from being so shocked. All her muscles were stiff. She didn't know whether to run or to hide, but currently, she couldn't even move.

"Are we doing a lotto this year nya?"

"When do we ever?" Ikuto scoffed.

"Alright girls, you're lucky today nya. All the rumors are false! Ikuto Tsukiyomi was always, and will always stay single to please you women out there." Yoru's voice boomed through the microphone. "You heard him. Same as always."

Amu forced her legs to move. Thirty feet from the voice.

"No." Ikuto sounded bored. A girl fell to tears.

Twenty-nine.

"And no." A wail pierced the air.

Twenty-seven.

"Been there."

Twenty-five. Amu shuddered as she approached that twenty feet mark…

"Done that." A disgruntled hiss.

Twenty-three.

"Not interested. Not interested. Not interested!" The sound of slamming against the table and Yoru's voice, "Don't take it out of the table Ikuto! We have to return this by 2:30 nya."

"I give up. I don't want to do this anymore Yoru." The scrapping of a metal chair against cobblestone.

"But Ikuto, nya!"

Twenty-seven. His voice was fading. The worst was over. Now to just walk away undetected. As long as the girls were still there to distract him…

"AMU HINAMORI! I've been looking for you!" Someone called from a distance. Amu groaned.

"What would happen if I killed the owner of the voice?" she snarled.

Kukai laughed. "You'd go to jail? But only if they can catch you. Good thing I taught you that Super Dash, huh?"

However, the moment the owner of the voice approached Amu, she had forgotten all about her intent to kill. "H-Hotori-san." She sighed dreamily. Kukai rolled his eyes.

Tadase leaned forward, palms resting against his knees as he fought to catch his breath. Nagihiko stood beside Tadase, and after reaching in his briefcase bag, pulled out a sheet of paper. "Fresh off the press, Amu." He handed her a sheet.

"This is the information on the Guardian election." Tadase stood up and offered a hand to Amu. "I wish you the best of luck."

Kukai looked from Tadase to Nagihiko and back before Nagihiko gave him an apologetic shrug. "It really was just printed today. Haven't even officially gone through all the Clover Guardians yet."

"Well, I'll say." Kukai swiped a sheet.

"So," Amu coughed, attempting to look casual. "Why were you looking for me? I'm sure Kukai would've eventually gotten it to me."

"Yes, I would've."

"That is, I was wondering if you would perhaps be interested in teaming up? Support each other, advertise for each other, combine our forces."

Kukai elbowed Amu, pointing out the group of staring girls. They had formed two lines and at the space between them was Yoru and Ikuto, seated at a long table the students usually reserved for Club use.

Ikuto leaned back against the seat with his legs crossed over the table and his eyes closed. Yoru was looking down at a sheet of paper and occasionally pulled his hair with his left hand.

It wasn't too late yet. Amu could still sneak away.

"Sorry, can't. Gotta go." Amu said abruptly, shoving the paper in her bag. "Thanks for this though."

Just as Amu thought she had gotten away, Ikuto's deep voice paralyzed her. "Amu?" It was a tone of clear surprise.

That soon changed to amusement though.

"Come to sign up, Amu?" He slipped his legs from the table.

"For what?" She snapped, bright red.

"For the win a night with Ikuto contest, nya!"

"One slap wasn't enough?"

Ikuto narrowed his eyes.

"I think she's made herself clear enough the first time, you thieving cat. Isn't it enough that you've stolen the i-innocence of so many others?" Tadase's cheeks lighted a dull pink at the word.

"Hotori-san!" Amu's impression of the prince improved ten-fold.

"Hinamori-san, we can increase our odds." Tadase clasped her two hands. "And I'd much rather prefer you to be my Queen than that stuck-up princess."

"Okay, enough of that." Kukai suddenly interrupted pulling Amu's hands away from Tadase. "We had somewhere to go, remember Amu?"

"Right." She replied, remembering. "I guess that's goodbye for now then."

She turned to go, but Ikuto called again.

"Amu," his voice resounded softly through the microphone, taking on a much gentler tone than what she was used to hearing. "Can I talk to you?"

Meanwhile, a fair share of the fan girls surrounded Nagihiko, asking for autographs. Tadase watched as the rosette paused at the sound of Ikuto's voice.

"In private." His smooth voice echoed again in all its moroseness.

Amu turned around, golden eyes twinkling sadly. She released a heavy sigh, remembering the urgency in his voice during that call. "Alright."

"Take care of the rest, Yoru." Ikuto said with a sweep of his hands as if to dismiss them. A mutter of 'aws' and 'ohs' reverberated through the crisp autumn air. The last of which Amu could hear, was Yoru's voice calming the crowd with a: "Nothing to worry about girls. Just a bit of a slump that has nothing to do with that girl."

A small prick pinched Amu's chest. For some reason that she couldn't explain, she had the tiniest hope that maybe some of it had to do with her. That maybe she could have some kind of effect on the immovable Ikuto Tsukiyomi, to make him speak so gently.

* * *

I'll try to include more Amuto after this. Sorry for the lack of interaction, I know it's disappointing. It should be more Amuto focused after this. And I'm sorryyy for taking soo long!


	12. The Bet

**The Art of Seduction**

_by lionetspirit_

Chapter 11.5: The Bet

She attempted to be angry, she really did, but Amu just wasn't that kind of person. Tension was thick in the air and Amu felt like she was suffocating in it. What was she supposed to say to someone who had stolen her first kiss? The last time she had seen him, she slapped him across the face. They weren't really in the position to have a conversational tone.

He stood some feet apart from Amu, staring up into the sky as he leaned against the tree where they had first met. He closed his eyes and breathed in softly.

Amu bit her lip, memories of the afternoon spent with Ikuto and Alto fresh in her mind. Ikuto's surprisingly gentle expression as he cared for the kitten, his serene smile, his unguarded, shimmering deep blue eyes. Why was she so easily guilt-tripped? A person shouldn't have been allowed to feel this guilty so easily, Amu sulked.

"Was it really so bad? Or was it because it came from me?" He said suddenly, opening his eyes.

He scrutinized her, measuring her reaction, but gave nothing away with that cold, hard tone of his.

She bobbed her mouth open to speak, and then closed it as she searched for her words. How was she supposed to feel? Ikuto was almost a stranger, but sometimes she felt like she knew him better than anyone. At least when he dropped his stupid mask in front of her like he did now.

"N-no, it's not that. Any of that. It's just…How can I say this?" Amu struggled with her words. How could she bring herself to be angry with him when he sounded so honest?

Ikuto tousled Amu's hair with his left hand. "Relax kiddy. I was joking. Did you think I was serious? I'll admit, I shouldn't have kissed you though. Look how that turned out." He began walking away.

"Ikuto!" Amu had lived long enough with her own mask to recognize when Ikuto was using it. "Ikuto, I just told you it's not _like_ that. It's just rude to randomly say I'm your girlfriend."

"I told you didn't I?" He turned his head just enough to look back at Amu who stood on the cobblestone road with the colorful leaves falling behind her. "I told you I'd do something 'worth all those suspicions' you had of me." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It wasn't suspicious! It was just rude to k-kiss me for no reason."

"Who said there was no reason?"

"W-was there?" Amu's cheeks blossomed a lovely carnation pink.

He shrugged. "And I thought it was custom at the States."

"Why does _everyone_ say that?!" She groaned, throwing her hands to her sides.

"Everyone?" Ikuto's ears perked up. "Who's everyone?"

"What's it to you?" Amu exhaled and closed her eyes, easing away the agitation she felt.

When she opened her eyes again, Ikuto was only a few inches from her face, wearing a slight frown. He looked down at her through dark hooded eyes that glinted with the lightest trace of sadness. His smell, a mixture of sweat and cologne, wafted across Amu's nostrils. When he moved, his sleek cobalt hair fell over his face, poking Amu's cheeks.

Amu sucked in a shuddering breath, hoping that her bright cheeks would be mistaken for anger.

"More than you know, Amu." Ikuto's velvet voice teased her name from his lips. She took a step back. He didn't move any closer and Amu didn't move any further away.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, finding nothing they could say. Amu couldn't look away though she tried. She was lost again in the depths of those beautiful blue eyes, like the deepest oceans that were hiding so much beneath them. Those melancholy eyes, were they real or did he use them with everyone else?

"Tell me," Ikuto whispered. "Do you like Souma?"

Amu stumbled backwards, falling onto the grass. "Wh-what the? What does that have to do with anything?"

Ikuto's eyes narrowed, growing dull and lifeless. "Then if it was _him_ kissing you, you wouldn't have slapped him, would you?"

Amu crossed her arms. "Why the hell are you getting angry? Do I have to remind you that _you_ were the one who forcefully kissed me?" Amu stomped, standing up to meet Ikuto's glare.

"I'm not angry. This is just how I act."

"Oh, yeah." The rosette rolled her eyes. "That's what you said last time too."

"I'm not."

"I'm _sure_." Amu raised both hands to Ikuto's face, gulping as she did so. She rested her thumbs between his eyebrows, causing Ikuto's eyes to widen, before she smoothed out his tense muscles as if to prove a point. "And you _haven't_ slept with half the girls in this school either, right?!"

Ikuto turned away. The muscles between his eyebrows tensed up again.

Amu pulled back and lowered her head. "I'm going home. Need to clean out stuff you know?"

Before she could run off, Ikuto grabbed her by the wrist. "Amu," he spoke softly. "You never answered me."

"Why not me?" Ikuto's revealed such pain that Amu had to gasp at the sudden stab she felt at her chest. "I – " But rather than continue speaking, he suddenly took hold of her lips.

Her golden eyes widened, swirling with the tumult of emotions she was feeling. He gazed at her, gauging her reaction as he kissed her firmly, more deeply than the first time.

He pressed forward cautiously, as if testing new waters. Amu's half lidded eyes slowly closed. Here was Ikuto, the man she was inexplicably drawn to – the guy who helped her time and time again, who was more than his pretty face and fame and reputation. Her fingers inched up towards him, even though she tried to fight it.

When Amu's hands grabbed at his collar, the effect was instantaneous.

Ikuto closed his eyes, sucked in a breath through his half parted lips and snaked his arms around Amu's feverish body. Her body fit against him so perfectly, it was painful to be apart. She tugged at his shirt and he responded by pulling her closer then spinning around to push her against the tree.

It was then that Amu's golden eyes flashed open. She was suddenly very aware of the burning trail Ikuto left against her back, her own swollen lips and Ikuto's heavy breathing.

She flattened her palms on his chest, which increased her temperature by a couple of degrees, and shoved him away.

Panting, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "Wasn't it bad enough you stole my first kiss?!"

Ikuto blinked a few times before a full-fledged smirk appeared on his mouth.

"Oh, just stop it." Amu glowered at the ground, feeling her cheeks turn bright red.

He considered for a moment. "Sure, I'll stop."

Amu stared up with big bright eyes only to see his toothy grin. Her stare quickly turned into one of suspicion. "Really?"

"_If_you manage to beat me at my own game." Ikuto was beginning to see the end of his past week of absolute boredom. He loved how red he managed to make her, loved how he could make her stutter and loved making her jump in embarrassment.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Amu questioned, horror already apparent in her voice.

He curled a finger, motioning for her to lean forward and whispered, "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

His voice resonated through Amu. She nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Then defeat me in the art of seduction, Amu," He blew the words into her red-tinged ears.

Amu blanched, supporting herself against the tree. "Th-That's completely counter-intuitive! That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

He bowed, brushing the tips of his hair against her left cheek as he leaned toward her ear. "If you win, I'll do whatever you want."

"Is that really the only way?" Amu stated grimly. Was it bad that she was feeling just the tiniest bit excited about this little game?

"It's my terms or nothing. Besides, it really is more fun this way. Of course, if I win you have to do whatever _I_ want." He nipped at her ears, then pulled away while grinning at the rush of blood on Amu's face.

"I-Ikuto!" She screeched, heart pounding so loudly she could barely hear herself speak.

"I do love it when you scream my name."

"You PERVERT!" Cradling her ear, she grumbled: "I'll show you, you don't have any, ANY effect on me at all."

"That seems to be working well."

"Sh-Shut u-up!" Amu closed her eyes tight, wishing to be invisible instead of this horrible shade of red. "F-for everyone's s-sake, I-I'll take y-your stupid challenge Ikuto! You'll see. I'll stop your stupid games and teach you a lesson."

"Oh?" He remarked, amusement dancing in his eyes. "I'd like to see you try," he said, meaning every word. "That is, if a kiddy like you can really do it."

Taking in deep, even breaths, Amu calmed her racing pulse. The moment her golden eyes stared up in a fierce glare straight at Ikuto, he was almost sent staggering backwards. "You forget this is a two-sided competition. If you can't seduce me, you can't win. And as I've already proven," she smirked, feeling her Cool-and-Spicy character take over. "I'm an impossible feat."

With that, she raised her chin and proudly walked away.

Just as she brushed by Ikuto, a natural smile – the same one that appeared when he looked fondly at Alto – graced Ikuto's lips.

He whispered just enough for Amu to hear at that distance. "I'm sorry, Amu."

She spun to look at him, pink tresses falling against her surprised face. After closing her gaping mouth, she sent her a thoughtful smile of her own. Her eyes softened at his unguarded expression, and her stance which had previously been aggressive, now relaxed. "Thanks, Ikuto. But this doesn't mean I'm going to lose to you."

Ikuto could barely contain his grin. "Doubtful."

"As long as one of us admits defeat, the other wins right?" Amu carefully chose her words. He nodded.

Holding out her palm, Amu offered, "Let's shake on it."

She knew Ikuto Tsukiyomi was a good guy underneath it all. This was the same guy who, at who knows what lengths, kept Amu from being expelled on the first day, even for all his perverted behavior. Amu was determined to show Ikuto, even if he didn't know it himself, that he was a good person.

Ikuto took her hand, astonished by its unexpected warmth, and said, "You'll find me to be a _very _competitive candidate."

Amu nodded, blood flowing to her cheeks at his intonation. She found Ikuto's azure eyes as captivating as the first time she met him – full of depth and so unlike the dull tone it had taken before.

Without letting go of her hand, Ikuto leaned down against her ear and whispered, "You understand this means you'll be seeing me a lot more right?"

Rather than turning red like Ikuto expected her to, Amu grinned. "I can live with that. And weren't you supposed to be watching me anyway?"

Ikuto's grip tightened against her hand. "Is that an invitation?"

Amu managed to keep the blush off her cheeks. Shrugging, she pulled away from his hand, fingers slightly tingling.

Ikuto's mouth gaped open as she spun on her heels and ran off in the other direction, pink hair flying in the wind behind her.

Had she just… ?

Before Ikuto even finished that thought, he felt the corners of his lips curve up. He hadn't remembered smiling this much in a long time. Even Yoru said so as they were permanently cancelling the weekend raffles.

Yoru couldn't understand why Ikuto would be grinning when he had just practically announced his celibacy, but Ikuto's good mood couldn't be ruined.

"I've just got one target now, Yoru…" Ikuto looked like he was a little boy getting his Christmas gift.

"What did you smoke nya? And why didn't you give me any?" Yoru muttered at Ikuto's grin.

"…and I think I'm making progress."

That still didn't explain anything to his messy sidekick, but Yoru simply shrugged it off and blamed it on a momentary bout of insanity. Amu did have a tendency to do some strange things to his best friend.

* * *

So I had this written for awhile, but I was planning to include another half to this. Then I thought you guys really have waited long enough. Maybe I'll come back to revise this later, but here it is for now. Until the next chapter.

Reviews are greatly appreciated xD (I almost feel bad asking for it since I hadn't updated in so long.)


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